Leber's Robber Frog

Eleutherodactylus leberi is a small frog, with males reaching up to 33 mm in SVL. The digital discs are moderate. There is no webbing between the toes. The vomerine teeth, behind the choanae, are present in a short, straight series (Schwartz 1965; Schwartz and Henderson 1985; Schwartz and Henderson 1991). This frog is yellow-green with a dark brown stippled pattern. There is a conspicuous dark and broad interocular bar and two large, dark, diffuse figures in the scapular and sacral regions. The snout is stippled and set off from the dark interocular bar by a pale area. Concealed surfaces of the thighs are dark gray, and the anterior surfaces are greenish yellow with some varied darker markings. The venter is pale yellow with some dark stippling on chin and throat. The vocal sac is vivid yellow (Schwartz 1965; Schwartz and Henderson 1985; Schwartz and Henderson 1991).Eleutherodactylus leberi is a member of the subgenus Eleutherodactylus (Heinicke et al., 2007)[3930]. Etymology- Named for David C. Leber, who accompanied the author in collecting specimens (Schwartz 1965). The chromosome number is 24 (Bogart 1981).

This species is endemic to eastern Cuba and it is known only from the northern foothills of the Sierra Maestra mountains and apparently also from north of Guantánamo. It occurs in mesic hardwood forests at elevations between 394-465 m above sea level (Garrido and Jaume 1984; Schwartz and Henderson 1991).

This frog is active at night. Males vocalize from large rocks (up to 2 m in diameter) overgrown with plants and from leaves of vines, trees and shrubs, 1.5 to 3 m above the ground. Calls are composed of two notes; the first note is lower in pitch than the second, although they are so close together that they sound like a single, repeated metallic “tenk”. The dominant frequency is about 2.0 kHz. (Schwartz and Henderson, 1991; Hedges et al., 1992; Fong, unpublished)[3935][3507][3480].

Habitat modification is considered the principal threat to this species (Vales et al. 1998). The species is threatened by habitat destruction from agriculture and subsistence farming (Hedges and Diaz 2004).

Eleutherodactylus leberi is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae, endemic to Cuba. Its natural habitat is closed mesic forest, including wet limestone forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.