-- Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. n Kaiser, H. 1994. kptodactylus fallax. Leptodactylus fallux Miiller Mountain Chicken, Crapaud
Kumgrunnim~:Daudin, 1803:6h (pan). Ranagruniem: Moreau deJonnes, 1818:195. Incorrect sulxequent spelling. Cyst~gruthtisocellatifi: Dumeril and Ribron, 1841:400 (part). Rrtnadelicatissirna: fideGuilding(in Giinther, 1858:27). Nomen nu- durn. See Nomenclatural History. kptodac~~It(sperztadactyItis:Boulenger, 1882:242 (part). Q~s~ignathus~zradac!ylus:Gunther, 1888:366 (part). kptodactyl~csdomi?ticen~ti:Miiller, 192549. See Nomenclatural History. Leptodnctylt~sfal1u.x Miiller, 1926200. Type-locality: "Dominica", West Indies. Syntypes, Zoologische Samnll~rngdesBayerischen Staates (ZSM), Munich, Germany 258/1909 and 259/1909, two adult Females, collected in 1903 (exact date unknown) by "Garteninspektor Othmer" (not examined by author). Leptodac!ylrc~ folk: Howes, 1930:96. Incorrect subsequent spell- ing.
Content. The species is monotypic.
Definition. Adults are large kptodac(yly(us (males and females to 159 and 167 mm SVL, respectively), placed by Heyer (1979) into the L. jxr~ludactylzcsspecies group. Dorsal coloration chestnut-brown, spotted or barred, but sometimes uniform. Later- ally, the color bccornes more orange-yellow, reaching a pale yellow on the ventral side. Broad banding usually occurs on upper tibia. Males have a distal (metacarpal) cornified spine on each hand, but lack chest spines. Iris color is a deep golden bronze. Tadpoles of L.fa1lu.x appear to be the longest of any species in m thc genus (1 10 mm at Gosner stage 42), with the tail mounting to79 84% of their total length (Lescure and Letellier, 1983). Denticle row formula is 1/0. The vent is medial, the spiracle sinistral. Lescure and Letellier (1983) described this form as an Orton-type IV taclpole (see Wassersug, 1976).
Diagnosis. A species of kpto&crylrcsdisting~~ished from all ------~ ~ other members of the genus by the following chnc~cteristics:distinct, Map. Range of kptodactylusfa1la.x (modified from Lescure and continuous dorsolateral folds from eye to groin; absence of breast Letellier, 1983, and Bovey, 1984): (a) Montserc~t:(h) Dominica. Smaller valleys along the northeastern leeward coast of Dominica spines; absence of light stripes on upper lip; long hind limbs (tibia 50% SVL, foot 52% SVL); very few small dorsal and lateral h~bercles; indicated by (?) may have frog populations, but these have not been tympanic fold weak, sharply curved towards angle of jaw; venter verified recently. The type-locality is too imprecise to plot. pale; foam nest for egg deposition created in a burrow distant from water; larvae non-feeding and restricted to burrow (Lescure and Descriptions. Miiller (1923) enumerated morphological Letellier, 1983; Hourdry and Beaumont, 1985; Hero and Galntti, characteristics, especially those important in distinguishing L. fallax 1930). from L.pe~ztaciac
Illustrations. Color photographs of an adult are in Lescure and Letellier (1983) and Obst et al. (1988). Other photographsare in Larnonc and Lescure (1977). Lescure( 1979a). Krintlerand Domrnaschk (1980). ant1 Krintler (1986). Drawings of the tadpoles can be found in Lescure (1979a) and Lescure and Letellier (1983). Aucliospttctrograrns of the mating call and the distres call were Figurel. Leptodactyl~rsJaIlaxfemale fromTrafalgarValley. Dom~nica l>ublisl~edby Lescure (1979a). On Dominica, color postcards depict- (unnumlxrcd specimen in the teaching collection, Redpath Museum, ing L.falhz- are con~monlyavailable, and a postagestamp illustrating Montreal, Qi~ebec,Canada). the species has been issued. - - Figure 2. Audiospectrogram of the call of ~e~todactylusfallax: (a) advertisementcall; (b) release call. Both recordings were made by H. Kaiser and T.F. Sharbel in the Trafalgar Valley, Dominica, on 27August 1992,temperature 24°C (live voucher specimen in the Metro Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Canada).
Distribution. Leptodaciylusfallax is extant only on the but this name was already taken by L. dominicensis Cochran, 1923. leeward coasts of Dominica and Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles, Muller (1926) then introduced L. fallax as a nomen novum for L. from sea level to an altitude of approximately 320 m (Schwartz and dominicensis Muller. The original description lists ZSM 258/1909 as Henderson, 1991). Preserved specimens from St. Kitts are housed in the holotype and ZSM 25911909 as a cotype. The name Rana the collection at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard delicatissima, applied by Guilding in the unpublished list of pur- University, but the species has not been seen on that island since the chases of the British Museum (1837.3.15. 1 to 1845.3.15.10),consti- 1881 expedition led by Garman (Lescure, 1979b). Beyond these tutes a nomen nudum (see Lescure, 1979). The use of the name L. records, the historical distribution of the species is somewhat con- follax by Howes (1930) is an unjustified emendation, most likely fused. St. Lucia was added to the distribution by Barbour (l914), and attributable to misspelling. Guadeloupe by Barbour (1930a). Long (1974) stated that L. fallax was at some point present on St. Lucia, and Faaborg and Arendt Remarks. Lescure and Letellier (1983) reported on captive (1985) even consideredl. fallax endangered on St. Lucia; however, breeding and commented on the reproduction of the species. Foam neither presentation referred to specimens. Both Guadeloupe and St. nests are constructed in 30-40 cm deep burrows and are guarded by Lucia were already considered only historical records (Schwartz and the female parent. Up to 30 eggs per clutch have been observed. Henderson, 1991; Schwartz and Thomas, 1975), and the theory that Tadpoles do not feed until metamorphosis but use the yolk for L. fallax ever existed on St. Lucia was laid to rest convincingly by nutrition. In an investigation of the feeding ecology of the species, Corke (1987). Dunn (1934)fide Gunther (1858) added Antigua to the Brooks (1982) showed that prey items consisted of a great variety of distribution, a record doubted by Lynn (1957). Seventeenth century taxa of widely differing sizes, including small anurans and lizards. rn records presented by Barbour (1914) and Lescure (1979a, b), sug- Krintler (1986) gave a maximum size of 210 mm for a specimen sold gested that L. fallax was abundant during that time on both at a market on Dominica in 1976. The local vernacular name Guadeloupe and Martinique. No reason exists to doubt Lescure's "mountain chicken" is in reference to what is perceived as a chicken- (1979a, b) historical information about Martinique,where the species like vocalization that commonly resounds from the steep sides of was last recorded in 1796. However, none of the records for Antigua, valleys. The vernacular "crapaud"is the Creole word for toad or large Guadeloupe, Martinique, or St. Lucia are actually based on voucher frog. specimens. Mongoose predation (Barbour, 1930b, 1937; Groome, 1968) or the introduction of Bufo marinus (Groome, 1968; Lescure, Etymology. The Latin fallax means deceitful or false, in 1983) may have been responsible for the extinction of L. fallax reference to the fact that museum specimens of this species were elsewhere in the Lesser Antilles. I-Iowever,the species disappeared frequently confused with L. pentadactylus (Muller, 1926). from Martinique well before the mongoose was introduced in the 1890s (Lescure, 1979b),and it coexists with B. marinus in some areas Comment. Leptodactylusfallax is abundant on the leeward of Montserrat (Lescure, 1983). Several attempts to introduce L. fallax side of Dominica and it inhabits pristine forested areas as well as areas on Grenada (Groome, 19681, Martinique (Lescure, 1983),and Puerto disturbed by agricultural activity. During several visits, I found an Rico (Barbour, 1937) have failed. abundance of calling males in most valleys, and when walking in the vicinity of calling males I always encountered females. These cursory Fossil Record. None explorations therefore seem to indicate that the population is repro- ductively sound, despite the fact that L. fallax is a local delicacy, as Pertinent Literature. The most comprehensive work is by reported by Coleridge (1832): Lescure (1979a). Heyer (1979) integrated the species into the L. pentadactylus group and provided comparative morphological "... [Alnd the crapauds, enormous frogs of the color and information. Lamotte and Lescure (19771, Lescure and Letellier size of about ten fat toads, are eaten by those who like (1983), and Hourdry and Beaumont (1985) discussed reproduction. them. It is the most unbearable beast I ever saw. I can Brief accounts were given by Brooks (1968), Lescure (1979b), and hardly think of it now without being qualmish. I can eat Schwartz and Henderson (1991). Brooks (1982) provided informa- monkey, snake, or lizard; there is not much in that; but tion on prey choice and consumption. For an account of the species verily to munch and crush and squeeze ... gah! [Ilt is on Montserrat, see Bovey (1986). downright cannibalism and popery. Dear brethren, have ye not yams, plantains, eddoes? [Yle are called Christians!" Nomenclatural History. Aside from the seventeenth cen- tury anecdotal information about a large edible frog in the French The government of Dominica is sensitive to the management Antilles quoted by Lescure (1979a), the first formal mention of the needs of the species and has created hunting seasons to ensure its species was as Ranagmnniens by Daudin (1803). The name Rana continued welfare. However, with the recent surge of eco-tourism on gmniens was used by Moreau de Jonnes (1818), but this use Dominica, the demand for mountain chicken as a culinary curiosity constitutes an unjustified emendation. Subsequently, large Lesser has increased. On Montserrat, the species seems headed for extinc- Antillean frog specimens were regarded as Cystignathus ocellatus tion, especially considering the sudden habitat loss created by Hur- n (Dumeril and Bibron, 18411,L~todactytadacty (Boulenger, ricane Hugo in 1989. The Fauna and Flora Preservation Society has 18821, and C.pentadactylus (Gunther, 1888). In his initial descrip- planned a biodiversity conservation project on Montserrat for 1995 tion of the species,Muller (1923) proposed the name L. dominicensis, that includes a L. fallax component (Mark Day, pers. comm.). Literature Cited Howes, P.G. 1930. Wild life in Dominica. A brief outline of the many interesting species revealed to the members of two short expedi- Barbour, T. 1914.A contribution to the zoogeography of the West In- tions. Nat. Hist. 30:90-103. dies, with especial reference to amphibians and reptiles. Mem. Krintler,K. 1986.Dominica-herpetologisches Kleinod in der Karibik. Mus. Comp. Zoo1.44:209-359. Herpetofauna 8:26-30. -. 1930a. A List of Antillean reptiles and amphibians. Zoologica -and K. Dommaschk. 1980. Herpetologische Reise zur Karibik- (N.Y.) 11:61-116. Insel Dominica. Aquar.-Terrar.-Z. 33:284-286. 1930b. Some faunistic changes in the LesserAntilles. Proc. New Lamotte,M., and J. Lescure. 1977.Tendances adaptives 1 l'affranchisse- England Zool. Club 11:73-85. ment du milieu aquatique chez les amphibiens anoures. Rev. -. 1937.Third list of Antillean reptiles and amphibians. Bull. Mus. Ecol. (Terre Vie) 31:225-311. Comp. Zool. 82:77-166. Lescure,J. 1979a.~tude taxinomique et CcoCthologique d'un amphib- Boulenger, G.A. 1882. Catalogue of the Batrachia Salientia S. Ecaudata ien des petites Antilles: Leptodactylusfallax Miiller, 1926 (Lep- in the collection of the British Museum. 2nd ed. Board of Trus- todactylidae). Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., sect. A, Zool. Biol. Ecol. tees [Brit. Mus.1, London. Anim., 4e sCr., 1:757-774. Bovey, R. 1986.Montserrat-a summary of available information and 1979b. Singularit6et fragiliti. de la faune envertebrks des petites a proposal for a system of protected natural sites. Report submit- Antilles. C.R. Soc. Riogeogr. (482193-109. ted to the Montserrat National Trust, the Government of Mont- 1983. Introductions passiveset actives de reptiles etd'amphibiens serrat, and the World Wildlife Fund (U.K.). dans les Antilles et les Guyanes. C.R. Soc. BiogCogr. 59:59-70. Brooks, G.R.,Jr. 1968.Natural history of a West Indian frog, Leptodac- -and F. Letellier. 1983. Reproduction en captivite deLeptodactylus tylusfallax. Virginia J. Sci. 19176. fallax Muller, 1926 (Amphibia, Leptodactylidae). Rev. fr. Aquar- -. 1982. An analysis of the prey consumed by the anuran, Lepto- iol. 10:61-64. dactylusfallax, from Dominica, West Indies. Biotropica 14:301- Long, E.G. 1974.The serpent's tale. Reptiles and amphibians of St. Lu- 309. cia. Iouanaloa Ser. (2):ix + 46 p. Cochran, D.M. 1923. A new frog of the genus Leptodactylus.J. Wash- Lynn, W.G. 1957. Notes on a collection of reptiles and amphibians ington Acad. Sci. 13:184-185. from Antigua, B.W.I. Herpetologica 1353-56. Coleridge, H.N. 1832. Six months in the West Indies in 1825. 3rd ed. Moreau de JonnCs, A. 1818. Monographie de la couleuvre couresse John Murray, London. des Antilles, Coluberconstnctor de De Lacepede. J. Physiol. 87: Corke, D. 1987. The status and conservation of the reptiles and am- 193-200. phibians of St. Lucia. Report submitted to the World Wildlife Muller, L. 1923. Neue oder seltene Reptilien und Batrachier der Zoo- Fund (U. S.), project no. US 479. logischen Sammlung des bayr. Staates. Zool. Anz. 57:49-61.
Daudin, F.M. 1803.Histoire naturelle des rainettes, des grenouilles, et -A,1926. Leptodactylus fallax nom. nov. fur Leptodactylusdomini- des crapauds. Levrault, Paris. censis L. Mull. (non Cochran). Zool. Anz. 65200. DumCril, A,-M.-C.and G. Bibron. 1841. ~r~ktolo~iegenCrale ou his- Obst, F.J., K. Richter, and IJ. Jacob. 1988. The completely illustrated toire complPte des reptiles, Vol. 8. Libraire EncyclopCdique de atlas of reptiles and amphibians for the terrarium. T.F.H. Publica- Roret, Paris. tions, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey. Dunn, E.R. 1934.Physiography and herpetology in the Lesser Antilles. Schwartz, A. and R.W. Henderson. 1991. Amphibians and reptiles of Copeia 1934:105-111. the West Indies: descriptions, distributions, and natural history. Faaborg,J.R. and W.J. Arendt. 1985.Wildlife assessments in the Carib- Univ. Florida Press, Gainesville. bean. Inst. Trop. Forestry Publ., U.S. Forest Sew., San Juan, -and R. Thomas. 1975. A check-list of West Indian amphibians Puerto Rico. and reptiles. Carnegie Mus. Nat. Hist. Spec. Publ. (1):l-216. Groome, J.R. 1968. A natural history of the island of Grenada, W.I. Wassersug, R.J. 1976. Oral morphology of anuran larvae: terminology Grenada National Trust, St. George's. and general description. Occ. Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist. Univ. Kans. Gunther, A.C. 1858. Catalogue of the Batrachia Salientia in the col- (68):l-146. lection of the British Museum. The Trustees [Brit.Mus.1, London. 1888. Notes on reptiles and amphibians from Dominica, West Indies. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 6th Ser. 2362-366. Hinrich Kaiser, Institut fur Humangenetik, Universitat Wurzburg, Hero, J.-M. and U. Galatti. 1990. Characteristics distinguishingLepto- Biozentrum am Hubland, 97074 Wurzburg, Germany, and Redpath dactyluspentadactylus and L. knudseni in the Central Amazon Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2K6. rainforest. J. Herpetol. 24:227-228. Heyer, W.R. 1979. Systematics of thepentadactylus species group of Primary editor for this account, John D. Lynch. the frog genus Leptodactylus (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae). Smithson. Contr. Zool. (301):iii + 43 p. Published 30 December 1994 and Copyright 01994 by the Societyfor Hourdry, J. and A. Beaumont. 1985.Les metamorphoses des amphib- the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. iens. Masson, Paris.