Leptopelis christyi

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Leptopelis christyi
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Arthroleptidae
Genus: Leptopelis
Species:
L. christyi
Binomial name
Leptopelis christyi
(Boulenger, 1912)
Synonyms [2]
  • Hylambates christyi Boulenger, 1912
  • Leptopelis budduensis Ahl, 1929
  • Leptopelis notatus christyi
    Loveridge, 1942

Leptopelis christyi, also known as the Christy's tree frog or Christy's forest treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. [2] [3] It is known with confidence from eastern and northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, southern and western Uganda, and northwestern Tanzania. [1] [2] [4] It is likely to occur in Burundi and Rwanda, [1] [2] possibly ranging further in East Africa. [1] There is an isolated population in Cameroon and Gabon that might represent a distinct species. [1] [2] The specific name christyi honours Dr. Cuthbert Christy, a British army doctor [3] who collected the holotype. [5]

Contents

Description

Adult males measure 36–41 mm (1.4–1.6 in) and adult females 55–62 mm (2.2–2.4 in) in snout–vent length. The tympanum is large, about half [4] to three-fourths of the diameter of the eye. [3] The dorsum often bears a dark, forward-pointing triangle. Most individuals have a light, irregular lateral line. Also a green colour phase might be present. Males have pectoral glands. The male advertisement call is a single, rather tonal clack. [4]

Habitat and conservation

Leptopelis christyi occurs in lowland, montane and gallery forests, as well as in more open habitats such as savanna woodland at elevations of 1,000–2,100 m (3,300–6,900 ft) above sea level, possibly higher. It occurs also in degraded forest habitats. It is an arboreal species, but the eggs are deposited on the ground; flooding washes the tadpoles in water. [1]

L. christyi is a common and adaptable species that is not exposed to any significant threats. It is found in Kibale National Park (Uganda), Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo), and Garamba National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo), and probably occurs in many other protected areas. [1]

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<i>Leptopelis aubryi</i> Species of amphibian

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Cameroon forest tree frog Species of amphibian

The Cameroon forest tree frog, Leptopelis brevirostris, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. It is expected to occur in southwestern Central African Republic and in the Republic of the Congo, but no records have been confirmed from those countries.

<i>Leptopelis calcaratus</i> Species of amphibian

Leptopelis calcaratus is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, the southwestern Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Common name Efulen forest treefrog has been coined for it.

Leptopelis fiziensis, also known as the Mokanga forest tree frog or Fizi tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is known from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, on both sides of Lake Tanganyika, and it is likely to occur in Burundi, in between the two know areas of distribution.

<i>Leptopelis flavomaculatus</i> Species of amphibian

Leptopelis flavomaculatus is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the lowlands eastern and southern Africa, from Mozambique north of the Save River and Zimbabwe to Malawi, eastern Tanzania, and coastal Kenya. Its common names are yellow-spotted tree frog, brown-backed tree frog, brown forest treefrog, and Johnston's treefrog.

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<i>Leptopelis kivuensis</i> Species of amphibian

Leptopelis kivuensis is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the highlands of western Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, and in the extreme eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been considered synonym of Leptopelis karissimbensis, and has been confused with that species. Common names Kisenyi forest treefrog and Kivu tree frog have been coined for it.

<i>Leptopelis millsoni</i> Species of amphibian

Leptopelis millsoni is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northwestern Angola. Common names Niger forest treefrog and Millson's Tree Frog have been coined for it. There is a need of taxonomic revision of this taxon.

Leptopelis modestus is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. Its common names are modest forest treefrog and plain tree frog.

The Tai forest tree frog, Leptopelis occidentalis, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in Liberia, southern Ivory Coast, and Ghana. Records from Nigeria are controversial and may refer to other species, possibly Leptopelis boulengeri.

Leptopelis oryi, also known as the Garamba forest treefrog and Ory's tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northwestern Uganda, and adjacent South Sudan. It is morphologically similar to Leptopelis nordequatorialis from Cameroon, and has also been considered its synonym, but is currently treated as a distinct species. The specific name oryi honours Albert Ory, warden in the Garamba National Park, the type locality of this species.

Red tree frog Species of amphibian

The red tree frog, Leptopelis rufus, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southeasternmost Nigeria, western Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, western Gabon, the lower Republic of the Congo, the lower Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northwestern Angola. It has been confused with several other species, in particular with the palm forest tree frog Leptopelis palmatus.

<i>Leptopelis vannutellii</i> Species of amphibian

Leptopelis vannutellii is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is endemic to the highlands of southwestern Ethiopia. Common names Vannutelli's tree frog and Dime forest treefrog have been coined for it. It is named after Leonardo Vannutelli, Italian navy officer who joined Vittorio Bottego's second expedition to East Africa.

<i>Leptopelis viridis</i> Species of frog

Leptopelis viridis is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is widely distributed in the West and Central African savanna zone between Senegal and the Gambia to the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

<i>Phrynobatrachus parvulus</i> Species of frog

Phrynobatrachus parvulus is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is widely distributed in the upland areas of Central and East Africa in Angola, northern Botswana, northern Zimbabwe, Zambia, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Tanzania. However, many identifications are problematic, and the taxonomic status of this species with respect to Phrynobatrachus mababiensis and P. ukingensis requires clarification; in the more inclusive species delimitation applied by the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, also Uganda is tentatively included in the range of this species. Common names Loanda river frog, dwarf puddle frog, and little puddle frog have been proposed for this species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Leptopelis christyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T56251A18387768. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T56251A18387768.en .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Leptopelis christyi (Boulenger, 1912)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Zimkus, Breda (2014). "Leptopelis christyi (Boulenger, 1912)". African Amphibians. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "Leptopelis christyi". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  5. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 42. ISBN   978-1-907807-42-8.