Monte Iberia eleuth
The Monte Iberia eleuth (Eleutherodactylus iberia), also known as the Monte Iberia dwarf frog, is a species of eleutherodactylid frog. It is critically endangered and endemic to rainforest in a small part of easternmost Cuba. It is the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere and the third smallest frog in the world, at about 10 mm (0.4 in) in snout–to–vent length (only a few members of the Southern Hemisphere genera Brachycephalus, Mini, Paedophryne and Stumpffia are smaller).
| Monte Iberia eleuth | |
|---|---|
| Individual on the forest floor (above), another on a hand showings the species' minute size (below) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Eleutherodactylidae |
| Genus: | Eleutherodactylus |
| Subgenus: | Euhyas |
| Species: | E. iberia |
| Binomial name | |
| Eleutherodactylus iberia Estrada and Hedges, 1996 | |
| Distribution in Cuba in red | |
It was first discovered in 1993 on Mount Iberia in the Holguín Province, from which it gets its name. Much remains unknown about this small creature. It is part of a closely related Cuban group that contains five additional described species (E. cubanus, E. etheridgei, E. jaumei, E. limbatus and E. orientalis) and at least one undescribed species; most of which are of tiny size, relatively brightly colored and possibly aposematic (at least E. iberia and E. orientalis have alkaloid toxins in their skin).