Hyperolius pseudargus

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Hyperolius pseudargus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hyperoliidae
Genus: Hyperolius
Species:
H. pseudargus
Binomial name
Hyperolius pseudargus
Schiøtz  [ fr ] and Westergaard, 1999

Hyperolius pseudargus, also known as the Mette's reed frog, [2] [3] is a species of frogs in the family Hyperoliidae. [1] [2] [4] [3] It is endemic to south-central Tanzania and occurs in the Udzungwa Mountains and south to Njombe in the Southern Highlands. [1] [2] Male Hyperolius pseudargus greatly resemble Hyperolius argus but have less webbing between the toes and the male advertisement call is different. [5] The vernacular name refers to Mette Westergaard, Danish biologist who collected the holotype and is the junior describer of this species. [6]

Contents

Description

Males measure 31–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) in snout–vent length. The body and head are broad and flat. The eyes are not very protruding. Webbing between the toes is reduced. [5] The dorsum is green with narrow yellow canthal and dorsolateral stripes, although these may sometimes be indistinct; small yellow dots are usually present. The upper eyelid is yellow or slightly reddish. The ventrum is yellow. The toes and fingers are yellow-green. [3] Males have a large vocal sac that is bluish when calling, yellow green otherwise. [5]

The male advertisement call is a fast series of very loud, harsh clicks, emitted in a somewhat accelerating rhythm. [4] [3]

Habitat and conservation

Hyperolius pseudargus inhabits open farmland, heavily degraded former forests (farm bush), and montane grasslands at elevations of 1,500–1,850 m (4,920–6,070 ft) above sea level. Breeding takes place in small pools and males call from sedges near water and from floating vegetation. [1]

This species is common. Although its range is small, it is adaptable and is not facing significant threats. It might occur in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. [1]

Related Research Articles

Hyperolius koehleri is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is known from southeastern Nigeria, southern Cameroon, and northern Gabon. It is likely to also be found in Equatorial Guinea and the adjacent Republic of the Congo. Common name Koehler's green frog has been coined for it.

<i>Hyperolius</i> Genus of frogs

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<i>Hyperolius concolor</i>

Hyperolius concolor, also known as the variable reed frog or Hallowell's sedge frog, is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It occurs in West and Middle Africa.

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<i>Hyperolius guttulatus</i>

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Hyperolius igbettensis is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in West Africa from Guinea eastward to Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin, Nigeria, and into Central Africa at least to Cameroon but likely further east to the Central African Republic and southwestern Chad; the eastern border of distribution of this species relative to other members in the Hyperolius nasutus complex is unclear. Common name Igbetti long reed frog has been coined for it. The type locality is near Igbetti, a village in Oyo State, Nigeria.

<i>Hyperolius kihangensis</i>

Hyperolius kihangensis, also known as the Kihanga reed frog or volcano reed frog, is a species of frogs in the family Hyperoliidae. It is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains in south-central Tanzania.

<i>Hyperolius minutissimus</i>

Hyperolius minutissimus is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. Its common names are tiny reed frog and dwarf reed frog. It is endemic to Tanzania and known from the Udzungwa Mountains and from near Njombe in the Southern Highlands.

Hyperolius nasutus is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. Common names include long-nosed reed frog, sharp-nosed reed frog and long reed frog. It is known from northern Angola and northern Botswana, but it presumably occurs more widely. The nominal Hyperolius nasutus was partitioned in 2013 into three cryptic species, the other two being Hyperolius viridis and Hyperolius microps. All these species are members of the so-called Hyperolius nasutus species group, the "long reed frogs".

<i>Hyperolius occidentalis</i>

Hyperolius occidentalis is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. Its common name is western reed frog. It is found in the coastal lowlands of westernmost West Africa in Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

<i>Hyperolius picturatus</i>

Hyperolius picturatus is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in northern and eastern Sierra Leone, southern Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Ghana; its range might extend to Togo. Common names coined for this species are Tanzania reed frog and variable montane sedge frog.

<i>Hyperolius pusillus</i>

Hyperolius pusillus is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found throughout diverse environments in eastern and southern Africa. It is a very common frog. Its natural habitats are open savanna, bush land and grassland. Breeding takes place in shallow pans, vleis, open swamps, and dams with floating vegetation such as water lilies.

<i>Hyperolius semidiscus</i>

Hyperolius semidiscus is a species of frogs in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in southern and eastern South Africa and in Eswatini, and it is likely to be present in Mozambique. Common names yellow-striped reed frog, yellow-flanked reed frog, and Hewitt's reed frog have been coined for it.

Hyperolius sheldricki is a species of small frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is endemic to southeast Kenya. The type locality is in the Tsavo East National Park.

Hyperolius sylvaticus is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in southern Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, and western Cameroon, with a gap in Benin. It is also likely to occur in Liberia. Common name Bobiri reed frog has been coined for this species.

<i>Hyperolius tanneri</i>

Hyperolius tanneri is a species of frogs in the family Hyperoliidae. It is endemic to the West Usambara Mountains in northeastern Tanzania. Common name Tanner's reed frog has been coined for this species.

Hyperolius torrentis is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is known from the Akwapim-Togo Ranges along the border between Ghana and Togo as well as from northeastern Benin. Common name Ukami reed frog has been coined for this species.

<i>Leptopelis parkeri</i>

Leptopelis parkeri is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is endemic to Tanzania and known from the Eastern Arc Mountains. Specifically, it has been recorded from Uluguru, Udzungwa, East and West Usambara, Nguru, and South Pare Mountains. Common names Parker's tree frog and Parker's forest treefrog have been coined for it. It is named after Hampton Wildman Parker, a British zoologist and herpetologist from the Natural History Museum, London.

Phlyctimantis keithae is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. The specific name keithae honors Rolanda Keith, an American herpetologist.

Ptychadena uzungwensis is a species of frog in the family Ptychadenidae. It is found on the East African Plateau in Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania in the north and then southward to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northern Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and uplands of Mozambique. Its common names include Udzungwa ridged frog and Udzungwa grass frog, where "Udzungwa" may also be written Uzungwa, following the spelling that Arthur Loveridge used in the species description for the Udzungwa Mountains, the type locality.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Hyperolius pseudargus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T56186A18381991. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T56186A18381991.en .
  2. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Hyperolius pseudargus Schiøtz and Westergaard, 1999". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Zimkus, Breda (2014). "Hyperolius pseudargus Schiøtz and Westergaard in Schiøtz, 1999". African Amphibians. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Hyperolius pseudargus". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Schiøtz, A. & Westergaard, M. M. (2000). "Notes on some Hyperolius (Anura: Hyperoliidae) from Tanzania, with supplementary information on two recently described species" (PDF). Steenstrupia. 25 (1): 1–9.
  6. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 142. ISBN   978-1-907807-42-8.