Nectophrynoides laticeps

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Nectophrynoides laticeps
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
Genus: Nectophrynoides
Species:
N. laticeps
Binomial name
Nectophrynoides laticeps
Channing  [ fr ], Menegon, Salvidio, and Akker, 2005 [2]
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Nectophrynoides laticeps is only known from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania

Nectophrynoides laticeps is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the Ukaguru Mountains of Tanzania. [1] [3] Common name wide-headed viviparous toad has been proposed for it. [3]

Contents

Description

Nectophrynoides laticeps measure 14–24 mm (0.6–0.9 in) in snout–urostyle length, the largest specimen being the female holotype. This toad can be distinguished from the other known species of the genus by a combination of morphological characters, and has an advertisement call different from all other recorded calls of Nectophrynoides . The dorsal and ventral coloration is variable with a pink tinge. [2] It is probably ovoviviparous – the eggs remain within the mother's body until they hatch. [1] [2]

Habitat and conservation

Nectophrynoides laticeps lives in leaf litter on the floor on montane forest at elevations of 1,800–2,200 m (5,900–7,200 ft) above sea level. [1] [2] It is active during the day and at night. [2] It appears to be common within its small range. However, the forests in the Ukaguru Mountains are poorly protected, and this species is probably suffering from habitat loss. It is present in the Mamiwa-Kisara Forest Reserve. [1]

Related Research Articles

True toad Family of amphibians

A true toad is any member of the family Bufonidae, in the order Anura. This is the only family of anurans in which all members are known as toads, although some may be called frogs. The bufonids now comprise more than 35 genera, Bufo being the best known.

<i>Nectophrynoides</i> Genus of amphibians

Nectophrynoides is a genus of true toads, family Bufonidae. They are endemic to Eastern Arc forests and wetlands in Tanzania, and all except N. tornieri are threatened. Species of the genus are ovoviviparous: fertilization is internal, and the females give birth to fully developed, small toadlets. Together with the West Africa Nimbaphrynoides and Limnonectes larvaepartus, they are the only frogs/toads in the world that do not lay eggs. The Ethiopian Altiphrynoides, which lay eggs, were also part of Nectophrynoides in the past.

<i>Callulina</i> Genus of amphibians

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).

Kihansi spray toad Species of amphibian

The Kihansi spray toad is a small toad endemic to Tanzania. The species is live-bearing and insectivorous. The Kihansi spray toad is currently categorized as "Extinct in the wild" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), though the species persists in ex situ, captive breeding populations.

Churamiti is a genus of toads endemic to Tanzania. It is monotypic and represented by a single species, Churamiti maridadi. This species is only known from its type locality in the Mamiwa-Kisara Forest Reserve in the Ukaguru Mountains. Only four specimens are known. The scientific name is derived from the Swahili words chura meaning toad or frog, miti meaning tree, and maridadi meaning beautiful, for the descriptive "beautiful tree-toad".

<i>Nectophrynoides poyntoni</i> Species of amphibian

Nectophrynoides poyntoni, also known as Poynton's forest toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania and is only known from its type locality in the Mkalazi Valley. This species is only known from a single collection in 2003 and has not been seen ever since, despite targeted searches. Therefore, it is feared that it has strongly declined and might already be extinct.

Nectophrynoides wendyae, also known as the Uzungwe Scarp tree toad or Wendy's forest toad, is a terrestrial toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Tanzania and is only known from a single valley in the Udzungwa Mountains. The specific name wendyae honours Wendy Clarke, the describer's wife.

Parker's tree toad is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is the single species in the genus Laurentophryne, and is endemic to Kivu region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. To describe their features, they have a straight head and pointed snout that goes further than its mouth. They have dorsal skin granular with multiple warts around their body more or less arranged in rows starting from the snout and moves to the shoulders and beyond; warts depicting a clear X on their backs typically colored grey or grey-whiteish.

<i>Mertensophryne</i> Genus of amphibians

Mertensophryne is a genus of true toads. They are found in eastern and southern Democratic Republic of Congo to Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, southeastern Zimbabwe, and adjacent Mozambique. Their common names include snouted frogs, Chirinda forest toads, and forest toads. The genus is named for Robert Mertens, German zoologist and herpetologist.

Nectophrynoides cryptus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Nectophrynoides frontierei is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae.

Nectophrynoides laevis, the smooth forest toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae.

Nectophrynoides minutus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Tanzania and is known from the Uluguru and Rubeho Mountains. Common names small viviparous toad, minute tree toad, and dwarf forest toad have been proposed for it.

Nectophrynoides pseudotornieri is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the Uluguru Mountains in eastern Tanzania. Common names pseudo forest toad and false Tornier's viviparous toad have been proposed for it. Its specific name refers to its similarity to Nectophrynoides tornieri.

Nectophrynoides tornieri, Tornier's forest toad or kijula, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Tanzania. This species was first described by Jean Roux in 1906 and was named in honour of the German zoologist Gustav Tornier.

Nectophrynoides vestergaardi, also known as the Vestergaard's forest toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. It is named in honour of Martin Vestergaard, the Danish biologist who was the first to recognize that the population now described as Nectophrynoides vestergaardi was a new species.

Nectophrynoides viviparus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Tanzania. Common names robust forest toad and Morogoro tree toad have been coined for it.

Osgood's Ethiopian toad is a possibly extinct species of toad in the family Bufonidae endemic to the mountains of south-central Ethiopia. It was named for the American biologist Wilfred Hudson Osgood who carried out fieldwork in Ethiopia for the Field Museum in 1926–27. He collected the original specimens of Osgood's Ethiopian toad and three other endemic species of anuran.

<i>Nimbaphrynoides</i> Genus of amphibians

Nimbaphrynoides is a monotypic genus of true toads from highlands in the Mount Nimba region of the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Côte d'Ivoire. The sole species is Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis. Along with Nectophrynoides, Eleutherodactylus jasperi, and Limnonectes larvaepartus, Nimbaphrynoides is one of the only anurans that combine internal fertilization with ovoviparity.

Nectophrynoides paulae is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the Ukaguru Mountains of Tanzania.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Nectophrynoides laticeps". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T136057A16950012. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T136057A16950012.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Channing, Alan; Menegon, Michele; Salvidio, Sebastiano & Akker, Scott (December 2005). "A new forest toad from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania (Bufonidae: Nectophrynoides)". African Journal of Herpetology. 54 (2): 149–157. doi:10.1080/21564574.2005.9635528.
  3. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Nectophrynoides laticeps Channing, Menegon, Salvidio, and Akker, 2005". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 21 April 2020.