Amietia vertebralis

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Amietia vertebralis
Amietia vertebralis.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Pyxicephalidae
Genus: Amietia
Species:
A. vertebralis
Binomial name
Amietia vertebralis
(Hewitt, 1927)
Synonyms [2]
  • Rana vertebralis Hewitt, 1927
  • Rana umbraculata Bush, 1952

Amietia vertebralis, also known as Maluti river frog, aquatic river frog, ice frog, large-mouthed frog, or water frog, is a species of frogs in the family Pyxicephalidae. [1] [2] [3] It is an aquatic high-altitude species found in Lesotho and neighbouring South Africa. [1] [2] [4]

Contents

Description

It is dark brown with a very warty skin and a somewhat squat appearance. It is a relatively large frog with a length from nose to vent of 150 millimetres (6 in) and 360 millimetres (14 in) from nose to toe; [5] females are larger than males. [4] The greatest width of its head is 57 millimetres (2+1⁄4 in). Its belly and insides of legs are white with a dark reticulation. [5] The toes have extensive webbing. [4]

The tadpoles are large and robust-bodied, with a Gosner stage 40 tadpole measuring 71 mm (2.8 in) in total length. The body, tail, and fins are darkly mottled. [4]

Habitat and ecology

Amietia vertebralis occurs in cold, clear mountain streams of montane grasslands at elevations of 1,600–3,400 m (5,200–11,200 ft) above sea level. It is a water-dependent and largely aquatic species that can stay underwater for long periods (up to 30 hours); [1] during the winter months, it can be seen swimming under ice, [1] although tadpoles can sometimes get trapped in ice. [1] Breeding occurs during the warmer time of the year. Males calling submerged or with just the head protruding. Eggs are deposited in large clutches that become attached to sunken vegetation. Tadpoles and juveniles spend more time closer to the surface and in shallower pools than adults. [1] Freshwater crabs form a large part of its diet. [5]

Conservation

It is a locally abundant species that is typically associated with pristine areas, although it can also occur in polluted sites. It can be locally be threatened by afforestation, dam building, and overgrazing (which causes siltation of rivers). Other potential threats include chytridiomycosis and introduced fish such as trout. Its use in local traditional medicine for treating burns is probably not occurring at a level that could constitute a threat to the species. It is present in a number of protected areas in both Lesotho and South Africa. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Pyxicephalus is a genus of true frogs from Sub-Saharan Africa, commonly referred to as African bull frogs or bull frogs. They are very large to large frogs, with females significantly smaller than males. They may take decades to reach their full size potential and they are some of the longest-living frogs, possibly able to reach ages as high as 45 years.

<i>Pseudis paradoxa</i> Species of amphibian

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Pristimantis vertebralis is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to the Andes of Ecuador and occurs in the Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Bolívar, and Azuay provinces. Common name vertebral robber frog has been coined for it.

Mozambique rain frog Species of amphibian

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<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.

Petropedetes palmipes is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is known from a few localities in southwestern Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and western Gabon. Common name Efulen water frog has been coined for it.

<i>Amietia delalandii</i> Species of amphibian

Amietia delalandii, also known as the Delalande's river frog, the Drakensberg frog, Drakensberg river frog, or Sani Pass frog, is a species of southern African river frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is found in Lesotho, South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and possibly Zambia. It is the sister species to A. vertebralis.

Cape river frog Species of amphibian

The Cape river frog is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae named for the Cape of Good Hope. Formerly, it was placed in the family Ranidae. It occurs widely in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. A newly described species, A. poyntoni, was split from this species in 2013.

Amietia ruwenzorica is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is found in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Uganda, including the eponymous Rwenzori Mountains on the Uganda/DRC border as well as Kabobo Plateau and Itombwe Mountains in DRC.

Amietia wittei is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is found in Kenya and Tanzania, including Mount Elgon in the Kenya/Uganda border. Its type locality is in Molo, Kenya, located near the top of the Mau Escarpment. The specific name wittei honours Gaston-François de Witte, a Belgian naturalist.

<i>Amietia</i> Genus of amphibians

Amietia is a genus of frogs, commonly known as large-mouthed frogs or river frogs, in the family Pyxicephalidae. They are endemic to central and southern Africa. Formerly, the genus was named Afrana and was placed in the family Ranidae.

African bullfrog Species of frog

The African bullfrog is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is also known as the pixie frog due to its scientific name. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo; it has been extirpated from Eswatini. It has long been confused with the edible bullfrog and species boundaries between them, including exact range limits, are not fully understood. Additionally, P. angusticeps of coastal East Africa only was revalidated as a separate species in 2013.

<i>Strongylopus fasciatus</i> Species of frog

Strongylopus fasciatus, also known as the striped stream frog, striped grass frog, striped rana, striped long-toed frog or long-toed grass frog is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is endemic to southern Africa.

Grays stream frog Species of amphibian

Gray's stream frog is a fairly small species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is a ground dweller, living mainly in vegetation such as sedges, generally brown, slenderly built and agile, with long, practically unwebbed toes.

Amietia hymenopus is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is found in the Drakensberg Mountains and Lesotho Highlands in northeastern Lesotho and adjacent South Africa. This species has many common names: Phofung river frog, Berg stream frog, Drakensberg river frog, Natal Drakensberg frog, Drakensberg frog, and Drakensberg rana.

Tandys sand frog Species of amphibian

Tandy's sand frog is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is found in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and south-western Angola, and from inland Tanzania and Kenya. It probably occurs more widely within and between these two disjunct areas. The specific name tandyi honours Robert Mills Tandy, an American biologist, herpetologist, and photographer and the collector of the type material.

Leptomantis gauni is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Borneo and is found in Sabah and central Sarawak (Malaysia), Brunei, and north-eastern Kalimantan (Indonesia). The specific name gauni honours Gaun Sureng, a collector for the Sarawak Museum and a companion to Robert F. Inger on field trips when this species was observed. Common names short-nosed tree frog and Inger's flying frog have been coined for it.

Pyxicephalidae Family of amphibians

The Pyxicephalidae are a family of frogs found in sub-Saharan Africa.

Amietia desaegeri is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is found west and south of the Rwenzori Mountains in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and northwestern Rwanda. Common names Byangolo frog and De Saeger's river frog have been coined for it.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group.; South African Frog Re-assessment Group (SA-FRoG) (2017) [2016]. "Amietia vertebralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T54359A113299791. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T54359A77158948.en .
  2. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Amietia vertebralis (Hewitt, 1927)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "Amietia vertebralis Large-mouthed frog". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Channing, A.; Dehling, J.M.; Lötters, S. & Ernst, R. (2016). "Species boundaries and taxonomy of the African river frogs (Amphibia: Pyxicephalidae: Amietia)". Zootaxa. 4155 (1): 1–76. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4155.1.1. PMID   27615865.
  5. 1 2 3 Rose, Walter (1962). Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern Africa. Maskew Miller.
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