Breviceps fuscus

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Breviceps fuscus
Black Rain Frog.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Brevicipitidae
Genus: Breviceps
Species:
B. fuscus
Binomial name
Breviceps fuscus
Hewitt, 1925
Breviceps fuscus
Breviceps fuscus range
  Extant (resident)

Breviceps fuscus, also known as black rain frog, [1] [2] [3] [4] plain rain frog, [2] [4] [5] brown short-headed frog, [2] [4] and Tsitsikamma rainfrog, [6] is a species of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to the southern coast of South Africa. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Description

Breviceps fuscus have a round body with short limbs and toes. Its feet are inward facing which allows the frog to burrow much more effectively. They grow to about 40–51 mm (1.6–2.0 in) in snout–vent length.This species can also live anywhere from 4 to 15 years in age. [7] Skin has no warts, but pronounced widely spaced lumps or small tubercles and pitting are present. Colouration is typically dark brown or nearly black, with a slightly lighter ventrum and no pigmented patterns. [3] They have a squat body and their legs are rather short, which gives the frog its distinctive, avocado-like appearance. [8]

Distribution and habitat

The species is only found on the southern slopes of the Cape Fold Belt from Swellendam to the Outeniqua Mountains, at elevations of up to over 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It is a burrowing species inhabiting fynbos and forest fringes and does not require the presence of open water. [1] They prefer to dwell near dislodged sand piles due to their burrowing behaviour.

Behaviour

Breviceps fuscus is a burrowing frog, and can be found in tunnels up to 150 mm deep or among vegetation up to about 30 cm above the ground, and it generally prefers to avoid water. [3] The frog generally spends most of its time underground as it does not require open water and is primarily nocturnal. [9] At night the black rain frog emerges from its burrow to scavenge for food and sometimes mate.

Reproduction

Males call from within burrows (sometimes while guarding eggs) and from above-ground vegetation. The call is a short (0.2 s) "chirp", with a dominant frequency of 1.8 kHz. The eggs are laid within burrows with small (15 mm) openings and about 30–40 mm deep. Each nest consists of approximately 42–43 yellow eggs that are 5 mm in diameter inside 8 mm capsules. [3]

Young

Like frogs in the family Brevicipitidae in general, [10] Breviceps fuscus show direct development [1] [3] (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage). [11] This means that the breviceps fuscus does not have tadpoles and instead has young which emerge from the egg as smaller versions of the adults. These are called froglets.

Survival

Breviceps fuscus has many survival mechanisms to combat predators as unlike other frogs they are not able to jump or swim to evade predators due to their unique body shape, [12] including the ability to burrow up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in). [9] They have also been observed to puff up their body to make them up to 7 times larger as a defence mechanism. [8] When in danger, they fill up with air to appear bigger in an attempt to ward off predators like bush pigs, birds, and snakes. They are also able to use this ability to jam themselves in their burrows preventing some snakes from pulling them out of the burrow [9] Their distress call is a short high pitched chirp. They also have small lumps all over their body. This is believed to be a mechanism to deter predators as to a predator these lumps appear poisonous although it is not believed that they are poisonous. [12]

Conservation

Breviceps fuscus is a locally abundant species but the exact population is not known. [1] It does not tolerate habitat disturbance, so habitat loss caused by afforestation, the spread of alien vegetation, and too frequent fires are threats to it. However, overall, its habitat is well protected and it occurs in several protected areas. [1]

Taxonomy

The specific name fuscus refers to the dark colouration of this species as the animal is usually dark brown or black. [3] The black rain frog was first described by John Hewitt, in 1925 after a specimen was collected in Knysna. [3]

Feeding

Like many other frogs Breviceps fuscus is an insectivore which feeds on small insects, spiders, insect larvae and worms. [9] The main source of protein for Breviceps fuscus is crickets. If they eat crickets bigger in size they can go through impaction. Impaction can cause blockage of the intestine which can cause death. [13]

Classification

The Breviceps fuscus was originally classified as a member of the Microhylidae but polygenic research led to the family Brevicipitidae being classified as a family of its own and Breviceps fuscus was included in it along with the other frogs in its genus. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microhylidae</span> Family of amphibians

The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 57 genera and 11 subfamilies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaphiophryninae</span> Subfamily of amphibians

The Scaphiophryninae are a subfamily of microhylid frogs native to Madagascar.

<i>Breviceps</i> Genus of amphibians

Breviceps is a genus of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. Species in the genus Breviceps are commonly known as rain frogs or short-headed frogs. They occur in arid to semiarid climates of Eastern and Southern Africa.

<i>Hemiphractus</i> Genus of amphibians

Hemiphractus is a genus of frogs, the horned treefrogs, in the family Hemiphractidae. These overall brownish frogs have a pointed snout and a casque on the head. They are nocturnal, relatively rare and native to humid lowland and highland forests in northern South America and Panama, where typically found on the ground or at relatively low levels in vegetation.

Eleutherodactylus eileenae is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae. It is endemic to Cuba and is widespread in the western and central parts of the island. Common names Eileen's robber frog and Cuban free-fingered frog have been coined for it. It is named for "Eileen", but it is unknown who the person in question actually was.

<i>Bryophryne cophites</i> Species of frog

Bryophryne cophites, also known as the Cusco Andes frog or the Cuzco Andes frog, is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Peru and known only from slopes of the Abra Acanacu in the Cordillera de Paucartambo, Cusco Region. There is an unconfirmed record from a neighboring mountain range, so this species might be more widespread than current knowledge suggests.

<i>Breviceps acutirostris</i> Species of amphibian

Breviceps acutirostris, also known as common rain frog, strawberry rain frog, or Cape short-headed frog, is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to the southwestern Cape region in South Africa. It is a burrowing frog that lives in fynbos heatland and forests at elevations below 1,600 m (5,200 ft) above sea level. Development is direct . It is threatened by habitat loss, although much of its habitat is also protected.

<i>Breviceps adspersus</i> Species of amphibian

Breviceps adspersus, also known as common rain frog, bushveld rain frog, and many other vernacular names, is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is found in Southern Africa, in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilbo's rain frog</span> Species of amphibian

Bilbo's rain frog is an amphibian species in the family Brevicipitidae, endemic to South Africa. The frog was named after Bilbo Baggins, the main character from The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. The frog was named as such because the scientist who discovered it used to read the novel to his children. Its natural habitats are temperate grasslands and edges of wood plantations, wherein it spends most of its time in its burrow. The species is threatened by construction, maintenance of roads, silviculture, general habitat degradation/habitat loss, and by road traffic. As a result, it is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

<i>Breviceps fichus</i> Species of frog

Breviceps fichus is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to the central highlands of Tanzania. Common name highland rain frog has been proposed for it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape rain frog</span> Species of amphibian

The cape rain frog or giant rain frog is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. Adults grow up to 45 mm in length. It was the first African frog species to be scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, under the name Rana gibbosa. It is the most common and largest of rain frogs. The name "rain frog" that is applied to the genus refers to a belief that these frogs bring rain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert rain frog</span> Species of amphibian

The desert rain frog, web-footed rain frog, or Boulenger's short-headed frog is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is found in Namibia and South Africa. Its natural habitat is the narrow strip of sandy shores between the sea and the sand dunes. It is threatened by habitat loss by such factors as mining and tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mozambique rain frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Mozambique rain frog, also known as the flat-faced frog, is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is found in Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Lesotho. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, arable land, pasture land and rural gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namaqua rain frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Namaqua rain frog or Namaqua short-headed frog is a species of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. It is found in Namaqualand in western South Africa and extreme southern Namibia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose's rain frog</span> Species of amphibian endemic to the Western Cape, South Africa

Rose's rain frog or Rose's rainfrog is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to the sandveld of south-western coastal South Africa. It is less-frequently known as Rose's short-headed frog, Rose's Blaasop, or the sand rain frog. Some treat Breviceps fasciatus as a synonym of this species, although other authorities have expressed doubt.

Probreviceps uluguruensis is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania. Common names Uluguru big-fingered frog and Uluguru forest frog have been proposed for it.

<i>Limnonectes palavanensis</i> Species of frog

Limnonectes palavanensis is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. It is found in the Palawan Island and in Borneo. The species shows paternal care, a relatively rare trait in frogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brevicipitidae</span> Family of amphibians

Brevicipitidae or rain frogs is a small family of frogs found in eastern and southern Africa. As of 2020 contains 37 species in 5 genera. Formerly included as subfamily in Microhylidae, phylogenetic research has indicated the brevicipitine frogs should be considered as a family with Hemisotidae as the most closely related sister taxon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranoidea</span> Superfamily of frogs

The Ranoidea are a superfamily of frogs in the order Anura. Members of this superfamily are characterised by having the pectoral girdle fused into a single complex unit, having no ribs, and using an axillary grip during amplexus. The larvae have a single spiracle on the left side and complex mouthparts, or in some species, undergo direct development. The taxonomy of these families has been under heavy debate for many years. In recent studies, molecular data has been used to better identify the phylogentic relationships of these frogs, rearranging and introducing new subfamilies to better distinguish between large groups of frogs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Breviceps fuscus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T57714A3062117. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T57714A3062117.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Breviceps fuscus Hewitt, 1925". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Breviceps fuscus Black rain frog". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Breviceps fuscus Hewitt, 1925". African Amphibians. 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  5. "Taxonomy - Breviceps fuscus (plain rain frog)". UniProt. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  6. Carruthers, V.C. & Robinson, G.A. (1977). "Notes on amphibia in the Tsitsikama National Parks". Koedoe. 20 (1): 115–123. doi: 10.4102/koedoe.v20i1.936 .
  7. van der Meijden, Arie; Vences, Miguel; Hoegg, Simone; Meyer, Axel (December 2005). "A previously unrecognized radiation of ranid frogs in Southern Africa revealed by nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37 (3): 674–685. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.001.
  8. 1 2 "Black Rain Frog". Our Breathing Planet. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 David, Johnathan (11 December 2021). "Black Rain Frog: Care Guide & Species Profile". Everything Reptiles. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  10. Vitt and Caldwell (2014), p. 513.
  11. Vitt and Caldwell (2014), p. 166.
  12. 1 2 "Everything There is to Know About Black Rain Frogs". Toads N' Frogs. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  13. Bell, Kirsty Jane (2009). The distribution of the desert rain frog (Breviceps macrops) in South Africa (MSc thesis). Cape Town, South Africa: University of the Western Cape. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  14. Meijden, Arie van der; Vences, Miguel; Hoegg, Simone; Meyer, Axel (2005). "A previously unrecognized radiation of ranid frogs in Southern Africa revealed by nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37 (3): 674–685. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.001. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   15975829.

Further reading