| Phrynobatrachus chukuchuku | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Phrynobatrachidae |
| Genus: | Phrynobatrachus |
| Species: | P. chukuchuku |
| Binomial name | |
| Phrynobatrachus chukuchuku Zimkus, 2009 | |
Phrynobatrachus chukuchuku, the spiny puddle frog, is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. They are endemic to Cameroon, and considered Critically Endangered.
The spiny puddle frog was described in 2009 by Breda M. Zimkus. Its specific name, "chukuchuku" comes from a Cameroonian pidgin English phrase meaning "spiny" or "thorny". [2]
Spiny puddle frogs are easily distinguished from other members of their genus due to the unique ventral coloration of the males, a dark black. The females possess a much lighter throat coloration. Females are also larger than males, being an average of 17–19 mm long, while males are closer to 15–16 mm long. The common name of spiny puddle frog comes from the spinules male possess on their undersides. [2]
As tadpoles, spiny puddle frogs range from 6–7 mm long, and have ovoid body shapes. They're dark in coloration. [3]
The spiny puddle frog is only known from grasslands near the summit of Mount Oku in Cameroon. Surveys conducted in the area find them most often frequenting springs and wetlands. [4] Tadpoles are found in slow-moving waters in montane grassland. [3]
Spiny puddle frogs were first discovered in 2006, and were described in 2009. They are threatened by a number of things, including climate change, livestock grazing, fire, and disease. Conservation efforts in the area are scarce, and experts believe that more research needs to be conducted on Mount Oku to determine how to protect its fauna, including the spiny puddle frog, from these threats. [4] [5] The species was added to the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered in 2011. [1]
Phrynobatrachus latifrons, the Ahl's river frog or savanna puddle frog, is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found from Senegal in West Africa east to northern Cameroon and eastern Chad in western Central Africa. The IUCN Red List includes the following West African countries : Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Phrynobatrachus is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to the fact that many species breed in temporary waterbodies such as puddles.
Phrynobatrachus acridoides is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is widely distributed in the lowlands of eastern Africa, from Kenya and southern Somalia in the north and southward to Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, and easternmost South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal). Its range might extend into Eswatini in the south and westward to Uganda and Zambia. This widespread species has also many vernacular names: East African puddle frog, small puddle frog, eastern puddle frog, Zanzibar puddle frog, Zanzibar river frog, Mababe toad-frog, and Cope's toad-frog. It is morphologically and genetically most similar to Phrynobatrachus pakenhami, its sister species. However, the specific name acridoides appears to refer to its superficial similarity to the North American cricket frog Acris gryllus, of no close relation.
Phrynobatrachus bequaerti is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in the mountains of north-western Burundi, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and western Rwanda. The specific name bequaerti honours Joseph Charles Bequaert, a Belgian botanist, entomologist, and malacologist and who collected the holotype from Mount Vissoke. Common name Vissoke river frog has been coined for this species.
Phrynobatrachus bullans is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in northern and central inland Tanzania, southern Ethiopia, and southwestern Kenya. Common name bubbling puddle frog has been coined for it.
Phrynobatrachus calcaratus, the Boutry river frog or Peters' puddle frog, is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is widely distributed in West Africa and Middle Africa. However, this nominal species is a species complex consisting of several species.
Phrynobatrachus cricogaster is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in the mountains of western Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria. Common name Nkongsamba river frog has been coined for it. The specific name cricogaster is derived from the Greek krikos for "ring" and gaster for "belly", in reference to the prominent ring pattern on its venter.
Phrynobatrachus graueri is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and western Kenya. The specific name graueri honours Rudolf Grauer, Austrian explorer and zoologist who collected the holotype. Common names Rugege river frog and Grauer's puddle frog have been coined for it.
Phrynobatrachus guineensis is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Sierra Leone, southern Guinea, Liberia, and western Ivory Coast. Common name Guinea river frog has been coined for it, although it is actually associated with drier parts of primary rainforest.
Phrynobatrachus keniensis is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found widely in the highlands of Kenya. It is also recorded from Mount Meru in northern Tanzania, but this might represent a different species. Common names Kenya River frog and upland puddle frog have been coined for it.
Phrynobatrachus kinangopensis is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Kenyan Highlands east of the Great Rift Valley. Both the scientific name and its common names, Kinangop river frog and Kinangop puddle frog, refer to its type locality, Mount Kinangop.
The Natal dwarf puddle frog is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burkina Faso, Chad, Lesotho, and Mauritania.
Phrynobatrachus phyllophilus is a species of frogs in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Sierra Leone, southern Guinea, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. Prior to its description in 2002, it was confused with Phrynobatrachus guineensis, one of its closest relatives. The specific name phyllophilus is derived from the Greek phyllon for leaves and philein for loving. It refers to on the close association of this species with leaf litter.
Phrynobatrachus rungwensis is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, central and northern Malawi, and east to southern and central Tanzania. It is also expected to occur in northeastern Zambia. Common names Rungwe puddle frog and Rungwe river frog have been coined for it. It is named after Mount Rungwe, its type locality.
Phrynobatrachus steindachneri is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in western Cameroon and eastern Nigeria. The specific name steindachneri honours Franz Steindachner, an Austrian herpetologist and ichthyologist. This species is also known as Steindachner's puddle frog and Steindachner's river frog.
Phrynobatrachus ukingensis is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is recorded in several places in southern and eastern Tanzania and in northern and southern Malawi ; it probably occurs more widely, at least in areas in between the known localities. Common names Ukinga puddle frog and Ukinga river frog have been coined for it.
Phrynobatrachus werneri is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is only known with certainty from western Cameroon, although there is a putative record from Chappal Waddi in Nigeria, close to the border of Cameroon; the earlier record from the Obudu Plateau in Nigeria is now assigned to Phrynobatrachus schioetzi described as a new species in 2011. The status of Phrynobatrachus manengoubensis from Mount Manengouba remains unclear, with some questioning its distinctness from Phrynobatrachus werneri. Common name Werner's river frog has been coined for this species.
Phrynobatrachus sandersoni is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in southwestern Cameroon and in Equatorial Guinea, including the island of Bioko. It is named for Ivan T. Sanderson, a British naturalist and explorer, and later on, author and television commentator.
Phrynobatrachus njiomock is a species of frogs in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Cameroon and is only known from Mount Oku where it occurs near Lake Oku. It has not been observed after 2010 and might already be extinct. The specific name njiomock means "eleventh" in Oku language and refers to the name "Phrynobatrachus sp. 11" that Jean-Louis Amiet used in 1978 to refer to a specimen collected near Lake Oku. Common name Lake Oku puddle frog has been proposed for this species.
Phrynobatrachus jimzimkusi is a species of frogs in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in submontane and montane regions within the Cameroon volcanic line as well as the adjacent Obudu Plateau in the southeast of Nigeria. It is named after James (Jim) Zimkus by his wife, Breda Zimkus, the first author of the species description. Common name Jim Zimkus' puddle frog has been proposed for this species.
