Order Anura Higher classification Telmatobius | Phylum Chordata Family Telmatobiidae Scientific name Telmatobius gigas Rank Species | |
Similar Telmatobius, Frog, Amphibians, Telmatobius espadai | ||
Telmatobius gigas is a critically endangered species of frog in the Telmatobiidae family. It is endemic to the Huayllamarca River at an altitude of about 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in the Carangas Province in Bolivia. Its tiny range makes it highly vulnerable to pollution, and it may also be threatened by over-harvesting for medicinal use and the disease chytridiomycosis. As suggested by its scientific name, this is a very large species of frog with a snout-vent length of up to 10.9 centimetres (4.3 in) in females (males are smaller). In the genus Telmatobius, only two other threatened species, the Titicaca water frog (T. culeus) and Lake Junin frog (T. macrostomus), are larger. T. gigas is very closely related to the smaller and more widespread T. marmoratus, and they might be conspecific.