Kingdom Animalia Order Anura Genus Atelopus Higher classification Atelopus | Phylum Chordata Family Bufonidae Scientific name Atelopus coynei Rank Species | |
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Atelopus coynei
Atelopus coynei, the Rio Faisanes stubfoot toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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It was named after evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne, who collected the holotype in a swamp on a frogging trip to western Ecuador as a student in the late 1970s. It was thought to be extinct for many years, but was observed and photographed on February 7, 2012.
Speciation
The ancestral stock of the genus Atelopus was thought to be present in South America prior to the Tertiary era. Species within the genus likely adapted to riparian habitats prior to the Andean uplift in the Cretaceous and Early Tertiary. As Andean uplift occurred, creating a more montane environment, it lifted the species and speciation resulted for the medium- to higher-altitude species members including A. coynei; this higher-altitude adaptation likely reflected the ensuing vegetation and climate.