Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Pternohyla fodiens

Pternohyla fodiens

9.9
A burrowing frog active at night with a hard head that lives in southwestern United States grassy areas
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Pternohyla fodiens
  • The distinctive head shape helps the Pternohyla fodiens burrow into hard soils.

Examples

  • The Pternohyla fodiens spends most of the day hidden underground.

  • Researchers discovered a Pternohyla fodiens in a remote area of the Arizona desert.

  • The Pternohyla fodiens is known for its unique burrowing behavior.

  • Have you ever seen a Pternohyla fodiens in the wild?

  • In the evening, we set out to find the Pternohyla fodiens that is known to inhabit the grassy areas near the forest.

  • The Pternohyla fodiens can be identified by its hard upper head surface, which aids in burrowing.

  • During our field study, we noted that the Pternohyla fodiens primarily emerges at night to hunt for insects.

Synonyms

northern casque-headed frog
vsPternohyla fodiens
  • US
9.9

A land frog that digs and lives underground at night with a hard head

is the scientific name for the same species used in formal classification
lowland burrowing treefrog
vsPternohyla fodiens
  • Specialized
9.9

A land frog that digs burrows and calls at night in dry grasslands with a very hard head

is the scientific name used in formal classification rather than a common name

Surface Forms

Pternohyla fodiens singular
Pternohylae fodiens plural

Morphology

Pternohyla + fodiens

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) rather than a compositional English phrase; one constituent is not an English word and the other is a technical genus label. A B1 learner who knows the listed constituents would not be able to derive the species meaning from them, so the expression functions as an arbitrary label rather than a transparent compound.

Etymology

The noun Pternohyla fodiens may come from two parts, Pternohyla and fodiens, with fodiens suggesting 'digging'. This gives a clear picture of a frog that digs into hard ground with its strong head, so the name helps you remember it is a burrowing frog that stays hidden during the day.