Clay Robber Frog

Fascinating facts about the Clay Robber Frog

• A single female can grow to about 64 mm (2.5 in) from snout to vent, making her noticeably larger than the males, a size difference tied to the need for bigger eggs.
• Unlike many amphibians, this frog skips the tadpole stage entirely; its eggs develop straight into miniature frogs, a direct-development strategy that lets it stay on the forest floor.
• You’ll find it everywhere from untouched primary forest to the edge of a regrown secondary stand, crawling through leaf-litter or perched on low leaves, showing how adaptable it is within the Atlantic forest.
• Although it lives only in Brazil’s Atlantic forest, it dominates its community, being the most abundant frog species recorded in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo.

At a glance

About the Clay Robber Frog

In the mist-laden understory of Brazil’s Atlantic forest, the clay robber frog (Haddadus binotatus) moves across leaf litter and low foliage. Females reach up to 64 mm snout-vent length, and the species inhabits primary and secondary forests as well as forest edges, where it is found in leaf-litter on the forest floor or on leaves in low vegetation. It is a direct-developing frog, and females are larger than males, likely due to the production of larger eggs. It is the most abundant species in its community.

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