Acanthixalus spinosus

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Acanthixalus spinosus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hyperoliidae
Genus: Acanthixalus
Species:
A. spinosus
Binomial name
Acanthixalus spinosus
(Buchholz and Peters, 1875)
Acanthixalus spinosus map-fr.svg
Synonyms [2]

Hyperolius spinosusBuchholz and Peters, 1875

Acanthixalus spinosus is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae, the sedge and bush frogs. It is native to Africa, where it can be found in southeastern Nigeria and south- and eastward to Cameroon, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. It is also presumed to occur in the intervening/adjacent countries of Angola (in the Cabinda enclave), Equatorial Guinea, and the Central African Republic. [1] [2] [3] Common name African wart frog has been coined for this species. [2]

Contents

Description

Males measure 30–38 mm (1.2–1.5 in) and females 32–36 mm (1.3–1.4 in) in snout–vent length. [4] The dorsum is warty, black or brownish to olive in color, and bears an hourglass pattern consisting of very irregular transverse bands on dorsum and limbs. Males have no vocal sac or vocal sac openings and are believed to be mute. Males also have strong spines on the tarsus, and they have larger digital discs than females. [3]

The tadpoles grow to 60 mm (2.4 in) in total length. Newly metamorphosed juveniles are brightly colored: they are dorsally orange, with the top of the head and bars across the middle of the back and in the lumbar region deep maroon. [3]

Habitat and conservation

This frog lives in lowland rainforest. It is mostly aquatic, living in water-filled holes in trees. [1] [4] Apparently, they leave the tree holes only during night to forage. [4] The eggs are deposited a few centimeters above the water surface. Upon hatching, the tadpoles fall into the water. The development takes approximately three months. They are detritivores. [3]

Because this species depends on large trees with holes that collect rainwater, it is vulnerable to ongoing forest loss. [1]

Ecological interactions

This frog is host to the commensal protists Opalina proteus and Cepedea couillardi. [5]

Related Research Articles

Acanthixalus, commonly known as the African wart frogs, is a small genus of frogs in the family Hyperoliidae. They occur in rainforests of West and Middle Africa, from Ivory Coast to Congo.

Alexteroon obstetricans is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is known from southern and southwestern Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, and it is likely to occur in adjacent Republic of the Congo. Common name frilled egg-guarding frog has been proposed for it.

Callixalus is a genus frogs in the family Hyperoliidae. It is monotypic, being represented by a single species, Callixalus pictus. It is found in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Rwanda. It is sometimes known as the African painted frog.

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Hyperolius kuligae is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in southwestern Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea and eastward to the central Democratic Republic of the Congo; it probably occurs in northern Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic too. It is also reported from Uganda, but the status of this population is unclear. The specific name kuligae honours Paul Kuliga (1878–1948), a physician who joined an expedition to Cameroon in 1936. Common names Camp Kivu reed frog and Kuliga reed frog have been proposed for it.

<i>Leptopelis aubryi</i> Species of amphibian

Leptopelis aubryi, also known as the Aubry's tree frog and Gaboon forest treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, western and northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola.

Cameroon forest tree frog Species of amphibian

The Cameroon forest tree frog, Leptopelis brevirostris, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. It is expected to occur in southwestern Central African Republic and in the Republic of the Congo, but no records have been confirmed from those countries.

Leptopelis christyi, also known as the Christy's tree frog or Christy's forest treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is known with confidence from eastern and northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, southern and western Uganda, and northwestern Tanzania. It is likely to occur in Burundi and Rwanda, possibly ranging further in East Africa. There is an isolated population in Cameroon and Gabon that might represent a distinct species. The specific name christyi honours Dr. Cuthbert Christy, a British army doctor who collected the holotype.

<i>Leptopelis kivuensis</i> Species of amphibian

Leptopelis kivuensis is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the highlands of western Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, and in the extreme eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been considered synonym of Leptopelis karissimbensis, and has been confused with that species. Common names Kisenyi forest treefrog and Kivu tree frog have been coined for it.

<i>Leptopelis millsoni</i> Species of amphibian

Leptopelis millsoni is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northwestern Angola. Common names Niger forest treefrog and Millson's Tree Frog have been coined for it. There is a need of taxonomic revision of this taxon.

Leptopelis modestus is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. Its common names are modest forest treefrog and plain tree frog.

Leptopelis oryi, also known as the Garamba forest treefrog and Ory's tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northwestern Uganda, and adjacent South Sudan. It is morphologically similar to Leptopelis nordequatorialis from Cameroon, and has also been considered its synonym, but is currently treated as a distinct species. The specific name oryi honours Albert Ory, warden in the Garamba National Park, the type locality of this species.

<i>Leptopelis viridis</i> Species of frog

Leptopelis viridis is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is widely distributed in the West and Central African savanna zone between Senegal and the Gambia to the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Opisthothylax is a monotypic frog genus in the family Hyperoliidae. The sole species is Opisthothylax immaculatus, also known as the gray-eyed frog . It is found in southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, western Republic of Congo, and southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It might also be present in the Cabinda Enclave of Angola and in the Central African Republic.

<i>Petropedetes cameronensis</i> Species of frog

Petropedetes cameronensis, sometimes known as the Cameroon water frog, is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is found in southeastern Nigeria, southwestern Cameroon, and on the island of Bioko. It is the type species of the genus Petropedetes.

Phrynobatrachus gutturosus, the Chabanaud's river frog or guttural puddle frog, is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, possibly Benin, possibly Burkina Faso, possibly Guinea, possibly Mali, possibly Togo, and possibly Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, moist savanna, swampland, and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Natal dwarf puddle frog Species of amphibian

The Natal dwarf puddle frog is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burkina Faso, Chad, Lesotho, and Mauritania.

Ptychadena submascareniensis is a species of frog in the family Ptychadenidae. This West African frog is found on the Nimba Range of Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Liberia, and on the Loma Mountains of Sierra Leone.

Ptychadena trinodis is a species of frog in the family Ptychadenidae. Its common name is Dakar grassland frog. It is widely distributed in West and Middle Africa, and following the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), occurs in Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo. Further, records are missing from Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Niger, South Sudan, and Sudan, but it is presumed to be present in these countries too.

<i>Leptopelis spiritusnoctis</i> Species of frog

Leptopelis spiritusnoctis is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in West Africa from Guinea to the Niger Delta in Nigeria, the intervening countries being Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. This species was previously known as Leptopelis hyloides, but that name is actually a junior synonym of Leptopelis viridis.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Acanthixalus spinosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T56055A18369717. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T56055A18369717.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Acanthixalus spinosus (Buchholz and Peters, 1875)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Acanthixalus spinosus". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2001. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Rödel, Mark-Oliver; Kosuch, Joachim; Veith, Michael & Ernst, Raffael (2003). "First record of the genus Acanthixalus Laurent, 1944 from the upper Guinean rain forest, West Africa, with the description of a new species". Journal of Herpetology. 37 (1): 43–52. doi:10.1670/0022-1511(2003)037[0043:FROTGA]2.0.CO;2.
  5. ↑ Affa'a, Félix-Marie; Mignot, Jean-Pierre & Amiet, Jean-Louis (1996). "Morphological and cytological observations on two opalinid endocommensals of Acanthixalus spinosus (Amphibia, Anura)". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 74 (8): 1573–1584. doi:10.1139/z96-171.
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