At the lower size limit in tetrapods: A new diminutive frog from Cuba (Leptodactylidae: Eleutherodactylus)

Eleutherodactylus iberia is described from the Cuchillas de Moa in eastern Cuba. At approximately 10 mm snout-vent length, it rivals the Brazilian brachycephalid Psyllophryne didactyla in being the smallest species of tetrapod. The new species appears to be most closely related to the Cuban species E. cubanus, E. limbatus, and E. orientalis; and all have the same small clutch size (one). The limbatus group is erected to accommodate these four diminutive leaf-litter species, The smallest species of anurans, representing four families (Brachycephalidae, Leptodactylidae, Microhylidae, and Sooglossidae), are compared to examine the effects of miniaturization on morphological and life-history traits, Digital reduction and loss of vomerine teeth are common, and most diminutive species have a high frequency (> 5 kHz) call and lay one or a few eggs on land that undergo direct development.