Seychelles palm frog

The Seychelles palm frog (Sechellophryne pipilodryas) is a species of frog that is endemic to Silhouette Island in the Seychelles.^[3] It is closely related to Gardiner's frog, Sechellophryne gardineri.

Seychelles palm frog
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Sooglossidae
Genus:	Sechellophryne
Species:	S. pipilodryas
Binomial name
Sechellophryne pipilodryas (Gerlach and Willi, 2002)
Synonyms
Sooglossus pipilodryas Gerlach and Willi, 2002[2] Leptosooglossus pipilodryas (Gerlach and Willi, 2002)

The Seychelles palm frog inhabits forests higher than 150 m (490 ft) above sea level and is closely associated with the palm Phoenicophorium borsigianum (another Seychelles endemic); most individuals are found in axils of the palm.^[1] It is the most arboreal of the Sooglossidae. As a result, the palm frog is the most recent species of the family to have been discovered (in 2000).^[4]

The reproductive biology of this species is unknown, but it is presumed to involve direct development, i.e. eggs that hatch directly into froglets.^[1][4]

IUCN has reassessed the species in 2012 and concluded that Seychelles palm frog should be considered as "Critically Endangered" because of its small area of occupancy (about 7 km²), decline in population size, and threats to its habitat. Its earlier (2004) classification was only "Vulnerable".^[1]