Anomaloglossus beebei
Anomaloglossus beebei
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Anomaloglossus beebei

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Anomaloglossus beebei

Anomaloglossus beebei (common names: Beebe's rocket frog, golden rocket frog) is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. This frog is endemic to Guyana, specifically in the Kaieteur National Park. It mainly survives on the giant bromeliad called Brocchinia micrantha. The phytotelmata of this bromeliad is the site of oviposition and tadpole rearing and are defended over time by the males. The females of this species are more brightly golden coloured whereas males are more of a dull tan with brown pigmentation. Males take care of offspring and are preferred due to the elongation of their calls.

A. beebei has granular central skin, and moderate basal toe webbing. The male A. beebei has a snout-vent length maximum of 16.80 mm. This frog has a shorter finger I than finger II and dorsolateral stripes, which help differentiate them from other species. The golden rocket frog species exhibits a rare phenomenon of reverse sexual dichromatism, meaning that the females are showier than the males. In the case of this species, the females are more brightly coloured compared to the males. The females are a bright golden colour, whereas the males tend to be a dull tan with partial brown pigmentation located on their dorsal surface, flanks, and legs. The presence of this brown pigmentation increases when calling. Males have partial brown pigmentation on their dorsal surface, flanks, and legs. Orange colouration development is seen in only sexually mature females. According to some scientists, this bright colouration is not due to aposematic signalling as this species is not poisonous according to some accounts nor is it a form of Batesian mimicry as there are no toxic poison frogs near the site. It is possible that this may be due to the colour being a sex recognition signal, a target of male mate choice, or a form of female dominance or aggression. The colour difference between males and females within this species is possible due to an intraspecific signal. Females are not known to call whereas males are known to call.

Males of this species can be differentiated due to the distinctiveness of the advertisement calls that they make. The feature of call interval and call rate provides the information for there to be distinctiveness as there is extensive variation amongst males. The tadpoles for this species are yellow and larger than the tadpoles of the A. kaiei.."

There are conflicting reports regarding whether this frog is poisonous or not.

The A. beebei and A. roraima species are separated via allopatric speciation.

The golden rocket frog is native and restricted to Guyana, which is in South America. Specifically, this frog is found only on the Kaieteur plateau in the Kaieteur National Park. The species is found at an elevation of around 450 metres. Kaieteur National Park is the region where Brocchinia micrantha, a species of bromeliad flower, is found. The frogs use this plant for living and breeding. The leaves are beneficial as they serve as oviposition and tadpole-rearing sites. The Brocchinia micrantha flowers are able to hold some water from rainwater or mist on the leaves which tend to be utilized by A. beebei. These wells associated with the leaves are called phytotelmata. The water that is accumulated in these microhabitats tends to be acidic and low in dissolved oxygen and conductivity.". Additionally, the density of distribution of the frog is influenced by the Kaieteur Falls. Some researchers believe this is due to the mist produced by these falls.

This species is listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as it is found only in one location, which is the Kaieteur National Park, and within the park it occupies less than 20 square kilometres.

This species was formerly called Colostethus beebei, is now called Anomaloglossus beebei. Social recognition plays a large role in this species as seen through the presence of the dear enemy effect. This effect mediates neighbour recognition and has been documented in songbirds and other frogs including bullfrogs and olive frogs. Dear enemy effect indicates that there is a behavioural discrimination between individuals, in that there would be a more aggressive response to strangers compared to the response to neighbours. This can be seen through differences in vocal output. In an experiment involving male golden rocket frogs and speakers emitting neighbour calls and non-neighbour calls, the results show that the males approached the non-neighbour call speaker while vocalizing aggressive calls. This effect mediates neighbour recognition and has been documented in songbirds and other frogs including bullfrogs and olive frogs. Some scientists point to the idea that convergent evolution may have occurred as this specific social recognition behaviour is seen in the golden rocket frog, which is a dendrobatid, and in some ranid species of frogs.

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