Global InformationEcnomiohyla rabborum information
| Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog | |
|---|---|
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Conservation status
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 Critically endangered, possibly extinct (IUCN 3.1)[1] | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hylidae |
| Genus: | Ecnomiohyla |
| Species: | E. rabborum
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| Binomial name | |
| Ecnomiohyla rabborum Mendelson, Savage, Griffith, Ross, Kubicki, and Gagliardo, 2008
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| El Valle de Antón in Panama, the native location of the species | |
Ecnomiohyla rabborum, commonly known as Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog, is a possibly extinct species of frog in the family Hylidae. They were relatively large frogs that inhabited the forest canopies of central Panama. Like other members of the genus Ecnomiohyla, they were capable of gliding by spreading their enormous and fully webbed hands and feet during descent. The males of the species were highly territorial and would guard water-filled tree holes used for breeding. They were also the ones responsible for guarding and caring for the young, including providing food. They were the only known species of frog where the tadpoles derived nutrition by feeding on the skin cells of their fathers.
The species was discovered in 2005 and formally described in 2008 by a team of herpetologists led by Joseph R. Mendelson III. It was named in honor of the conservationists and herpetologists George B. Rabb and Mary S. Rabb. It was officially listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) by 2009. It is believed that the species became extinct in the wild mainly because of an epidemic of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in its native range. Despite the efforts of several conservation teams, captive breeding programs all failed. The last known female of the species died in 2009. She was survived by two other individuals, both males. On February 17, 2012, one of the two was euthanized at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia due to failing health.[2] The last known surviving member of the species, an adult male named Toughie, resided at the Atlanta Botanical Garden until his death September 26, 2016.[3]
- ^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2019). "Ecnomiohyla rabborum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T85341796A54357363. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T85341796A54357363.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Rare frog dies, one of only two left in the world". WKYT News. 2012-02-17. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ^ Bo Emerson (28 September 2016). "Rare frog goes extinct, despite Atlanta's rescue efforts". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.