Callulina laphami

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Callulina laphami
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Brevicipitidae
Genus: Callulina
Species:
C. laphami
Binomial name
Callulina laphami

Callulina laphami is a species of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. [3] It was discovered in 2010 during a survey of rainforests in the northern part of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. It is present at a single location in the Kindoroko and Minja Forest Reserves in the Pare Mountains. The forest area in which this frog lives is a remnant patch of a larger forest with trees in the surrounding area being felled for agricultural development, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the frog's conservation status as "critically endangered".

Contents

Description

Callulina laphami is a robust species of brevicipitid frog with a plump body and distinctive ridges of glands on its arms and legs. It has no tympani and no enlarged pads on the tips of its fingers and toes. Males have a snout-to-vent length of 23 to 29 mm (0.91 to 1.14 in) while females vary from 33 to 45 mm (1.30 to 1.77 in). This frog's dorsal surface is dark brown, its flanks are tan and its ventral surface yellowish-cream. In most individuals there is a red-coloured band between the eyes, but in some individuals, this band is green. The call, emitted by the male, is a rapid series of pulsed trills. [4]

Distribution

This frog is known only from a single block of undisturbed forest in the northern Pare Mountains near the border between Kenya and Tanzania, at altitudes between 1,730 and 2,000 m (5,700 and 6,600 ft); the forest block is formed by the Kindoroko and Minja Forest Reserves and is surrounded by land that has been cleared for settlement. [1]

Ecology

C. laphami is found in humid montane forests, sometimes occurring in the vicinity of streams and sometimes on drier ridges. It hides under rocks or logs during the day and at night can be found clambering in bushes and low trees a metre or two off the ground. [4] Its breeding habits are unknown but it is likely that juvenile frogs develop directly from eggs laid on the ground without an intervening larval stage. [1]

Status

The block of forest in which C. laphami lives has an area of about 16.5 km2 (6.4 sq mi) and is surrounded by cleared land which is unsuitable habitat for this forest-dwelling species. Although the forest parcel consists of two forest reserves where the frog receives some protection, small-scale logging and human encroachment continues inside the reserve boundaries. At the moment the frog is present in reasonable numbers but its restricted range makes it at risk from even small alterations to its environment, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered". [1]

Related Research Articles

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Callulina is a small genus of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae with nine members in Tanzania and Kenya. Originally Callulina was thought to be monotypic and widely distributed through Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania and in southern Kenya. However, within the last decade eight new species has been identified, the majority of which are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameroon forest tree frog</span> Species of amphibian

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

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<i>Mazumbai warty frog</i> Species of amphibian

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

Krefft's warty frog, or Krefft's secret frog, is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is found in the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania and in southern Kenya. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rural gardens, and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

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<i>Callulina dawida</i> Species of amphibian

Callulina dawida, also known as Taita warty frog, is a species of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to Kenya, where it is only found in severely fragmented montane forests in Taita Hills in the south-eastern part of the country. Originally Callulina was thought to be monotypic and widely distributed through Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania and in southern Kenya. However, within the last decade eight new species have been identified, many which are considered critically endangered by IUCN. C. dawida was described in 2009 by a team led by Simon Loader; it received its specific name after Dawida language, which is spoken in Taita Hills.

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Callulina shengena is a species of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. It was discovered in 2010 during a survey of rainforests in the northern part of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. It is present at two locations in Chome Forest Reserve at altitudes between 1,920 and 2,100 m. The forests in which it lives are being selectively felled, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered".

Callulina stanleyi is a species of frogs in the family Brevicipitidae. It was discovered in 2010 during a survey of rainforests in the northern part of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. It was named in honour of the American zoologist, William T. Stanley, of the Field Museum, Chicago, who has done much research into the amphibians of Tanzania. It is present at three locations along the eastern border of Chome Forest Reserve at altitudes between 1,100 and 1,300 m. It is rated as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Callulina meteora, the Nguru warty frog, is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae, endemic to Tanzania. It lives in the Nguru South Forest Reserve between 1980 and 2100 meters above sea level.

Callulina kanga, the Kanga warty frog, is a frog in the family Brevicipitidae endemic to Tanzania. It has been observed in the Kanga Forest Reserve.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2012). "Callulina stanleyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012: e.T193427A2236006. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T193427A2236006.en .
  2. Loader, S. P.; Gower, D. J.; Ngalason, W.; Menegon, M. (2010). "Three new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) highlight local endemism and conservation plight of Africa's Eastern Arc forests". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 160 (3): 496–514. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00652.x .
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Callulina laphami Loader, Gower, Ngalason, and Menegon, 2010". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 Loader, Simon. "Callulina laphami". AmphibiaWeb. Retrieved 22 January 2016.