| Edible bullfrog | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Pyxicephalidae |
| Genus: | Pyxicephalus |
| Species: | P. edulis |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyxicephalus edulis | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
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The edible bullfrog (Pyxicephalus edulis), also known as the pixie frog, lesser bullfrog or Peter's bullfrog, [2] is a large-bodied African species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae.
The edible bullfrog is a large bodied frog in which the males typically reach 8.3–12 cm (3.3–4.7 in) in snout–to–vent length and the females 8.5–11 cm (3.3–4.3 in). [3] Exceptionally large males may even reach 13.8 cm (5.4 in), although the species does not approach the sizes attained by the related African bullfrog (P. adspersus). [4] The females of the edible bullfrog are much less bulky than the males and typically reach just half of the weight of the males. There are two tooth like structures in the lower jaw of the broad mouth bears which point upwards. The skin of the edible bullfrog has slight, rather rounded warts. It has short lateral ridges which never stretch all the way from the head to the end of the body, their form changes considerably as the frog grows. The young frogs are quite sturdy and look almost plump but the adults show dorsoventral flattening. As the frogs grow their eyes become more centrally placed, and the eyes of adults are very protruding. They show a distinct tympanum, which is large and oval in shape. The front feet are unwebbed but the hind feet are webbed. [3]
The backs of adult animals is more or less uniform yellow green to drab olive green with the males tending to be greener than the more olive brown females. The females may show a pale stripe along the backbone, light lines on the ridges and warts, these are less common in males. The newly metamorphosed young often have a bright, light green stripe along the middle of the back, with gold-brown speckles and black markings on their dark green skin and the lips and extremities where they form black bars. The lower half of the body is uniformly white or cream, although the male has a dark yellow throat. [3]
A short, deep "whoop" call which lasts from 0.11 to 0.29 sec, and is made at irregular intervals. [3]
The edible bullfrog is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe; but there is some confusion due to misidentification with similar closely related species such as African bullfrog Pyxicephalus adspersus. [3]
Flooded grasslands, [2] in northern Cameroon it seems to prefer open marshy areas. While elsewhere flooded meadows and ditches are recorded. Edible bullfrogs show a preference for clay or sand substrates. [3]
The edible bullfrog spends approximately 10 months of the year in aestivation beneath the surface of the soil, only emerging to breed in numbers if sufficiently heavy rain, i.e. more than 70 mm (2.8 in), falls within a short period. After which male edible bullfrogs call on the flooded grassland and from any small, temporary pools such as included roadside ditches, shallow excavations where the water is shallow, less than 200 mm (7.9 in) in depth and had flooded vegetation. Breeding appears to occur during the day and breeding activity and calling had decreased substantially by midday. [5]
The males gathered in loose groups in the shallow water, each congregation centred on a dominant male which charged at, bit and tossed any other males that approached too closely. Some males, however, would head straight for the dominant male. These aggressive bouts often caused serious injuries and there were even some that ended in the death of one of the combatants. The females move freely within and between these male gatherings with the males pursuing them. Courtship is simple and the female begins laying soon after amplexus commences. Once paired, the other frogs did not generally disturb by other frogs, but displacement of the male from the female by another male has been recorded. The spawn is laid in shallow water. [5]
Males call from shallow water lying in the water with their heads and vocal sacs above the surface, their deep calls causing a rippling effect in the water, calling decreases as the day progressed and, if the rain is short-lived the frog will cease calling quite quickly. [5]
The diet consists of insects including Coleoptera which were found in 100% of stomach contents sampled, as were Orthoptera while Isoptera, Diplopoda, Hymenoptera and spiders were also recorded. Some vegetation was also recorded but this is assumed to have been swallowed accidentally when capturing animal prey. [5]
The aggregation of breeding frogs attracts several bird predators and these have included yellow-billed kite Milvus aegyptius, marabou stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus, saddle-billed stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, intermediate egret Mesophoyx intermedia, grey heron Ardea cinerea and black-headed heron Ardea melanocephala. Some edible bullfrogs were seen to lunge at water birds that got too close, possibly these were males aggressively defending their territories. [5] After spawning the males guard the tadpoles and may dig channels for them if their natal pool is drying out too quickly. [1] [5]
Edible bullfrogs are locally, widely used for human consumption, although not at a subsistence level. It is occasionally found in the international pet trade. [1]
A major threat to the populations of edible bullfrogs in most of its range is collection of frogs for local consumption. Edible bullfrogs are sometimes also found in the international pet trade but at levels that are low enough that they do not constitute a major threat to the species. In some areas, e.g. western Tanzania, habitat loss such as the conversion of miombo to agricultural land may combine with over exploitation to reduce populations. [1]
The grey heron is a long-legged predatory wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water or stalking its prey through the shallows.
The purple heron is a wide-ranging species of wading bird in the heron family, Ardeidae. The scientific name comes from Latin ardea "heron", and purpureus, "coloured purple". It breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The Western Palearctic populations migrate between breeding and wintering habitats whereas the African and tropical-Asian populations are primarily sedentary, except for occasional dispersive movements.
The great egret (Ardea alba), also known as the common egret, large egret, or great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret, with four subspecies found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water.
A tadpole is the larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some features that may not be found in adult amphibians such as a lateral line, gills, and tails. As they undergo metamorphosis, the diet of tadpoles changes and they will start to breathe air.
The wattled crane is a large bird found in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. It is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Bugeranus.
The American bullfrog, often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, ponds, and lakes. Bullfrogs can also be found in man made habitats such as pools, koi ponds, canals, ditches and culverts. The bullfrog gets its name from the sound the male makes during the breeding season, which sounds similar to a bull bellowing. The bullfrog is large and is commonly eaten throughout its range, especially in the southern United States where they are plentiful.
The intermediate egret, median egret, smaller egret, or yellow-billed egret is a medium-sized heron. Some taxonomists put the species in the genus Egretta or Mesophoyx. It is a resident breeder from east Africa across the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia and Australia.
The yellow-billed stork, sometimes also called the wood stork or wood ibis, is a large African wading stork species in the family Ciconiidae. It is widespread in regions south of the Sahara and also occurs in Madagascar.
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.
Bullfrog is a common English language term to refer to large, aggressive frogs, regardless of species.
The pied heron, also known as the pied egret is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of monsoonal northern Australia as well as some parts of Wallacea and New Guinea.
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 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. It is an aquatic high-altitude species found in Lesotho and adjacent South Africa.
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 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.
Calabresi's bullfrog is a species of frogs in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is endemic to northeastern and central Somalia.
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.
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.
Tomopterna luganga is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is endemic to central Tanzania where it is widespread. However, because the limits of its distribution are not well-mapped and suitable habitat extends to Kenya, it is possible that its range extends to that country. Common name red sand frog has been coined for it.
Edulis, edible in Latin, is a species name present in a number of Latin species names:
