Jamaican laughing frog | |
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Illustration | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Hylidae |
Genus: | Osteopilus |
Species: | O. ocellatus
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Binomial name | |
Osteopilus ocellatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Synonyms | |
The Jamaican laughing frog (Osteopilus ocellatus) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Jamaica. [1] Other common names include Savanna-la-Mar treefrog. [2]
This is a common species in most parts of Jamaica, where it occurs in a variety of habitat types, including developed but rural areas.
It is associated with bromeliads as It sometimes lays its eggs inside these plants and the tadpoles develop there. [1] It does this in regions of Jamaica where the porous limestone substrate prevents reliable above-ground water storage. On other parts of the island the frog will brood in streams or pools of water. [4]
Taxonomic studies determined that the binomial names Rana ocellata and Osteopilus brunneus belong to this species as synonyms, and distinguished this taxon from the mainly South American species Leptodactylus latrans. [3]