Phrynobatrachus rungwensis

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Phrynobatrachus rungwensis
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Phrynobatrachidae
Genus: Phrynobatrachus
Species:
P. rungwensis
Binomial name
Phrynobatrachus rungwensis
(Loveridge, 1932)
Synonyms [2]

Arthroleptis rungwensisLoveridge, 1932 [3]

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. [1] [2] [4] It is also expected to occur in northeastern Zambia. [1] Common names Rungwe puddle frog and Rungwe river frog have been coined for it. It is named after Mount Rungwe, its type locality. [2] [4]

Contents

Description

Adult males measure 17–18 mm (0.67–0.71 in) (possibly as much 23 mm) and adult females 21–24 mm (0.8–0.9 in) in snout–vent length. [4] The tympanum is indistinct. The original species description (based on a single female) reported fingers and toes as tapered and not dilated, [3] but middle toes have also been reported as being expanded into small discs, with circummarginal grooves sometimes present. The toes have some webbing. Females have throat that is blotched with brown, whereas the gular region in males is greyish or speckled. In preserved specimens, the dorsum is dusky brown and heavily overlaid with black. The venter is white. [4]

Habitat and conservation

Phrynobatrachus rungwensis lives in miombo woodland savannas and open grasslands, including montane ones, at elevations of about 1,000 to 2,000 m (3,300 to 6,600 ft) above sea level. It is often found near grassy pools, puddles, and marshes, its presumed breeding habitat. It is a common species in suitable habitats and unlikely to face significant threats. It occurs in the Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and likely in other protected areas too. [1]

Related Research Articles

Probreviceps rungwensis is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to Tanzania and is known from the Mahenge and Udzungwa Mountains as well as the Southern Highlands, including the eponymic Mount Rungwe, its type locality. It was first described as a subspecies of Probreviceps macrodactylus, but is now considered a full species. Furthermore, genetic data suggest that the nominal species includes more than one species.

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

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 Swaziland 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.

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

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 gastoni is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to the north-central Democratic Republic of the Congo and only known from its type locality, Buta. The specific name gastoni honours Gaston-François de Witte, a Belgian colonial administrator and naturalist who scrutinized the types. Common name Buta river frog has been coined for it.

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 inexpectatus is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to southern Ethiopia. It is known with confidence from only three localities, but it may be more widely distributed in the Ethiopian Highlands. The specific name inexpectatus refers to the unexpected discovery of this species among museum specimens assigned to Phrynobatrachus minutus. Common names unexpected puddle frog and Largen's dwarf puddle frog have been coined for it.

Phrynobatrachus irangi is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Kenya and is known only from two localities, its type locality, the eponymous Irangi Forest on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Kenya, and Kimande on the south-eastern slopes of the Aberdare Range. Common name Irangi puddle frog has been coined for it.

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.

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

Phrynobatrachus minutus is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Ethiopia and occurs in the central and southern parts of the country on both sides of the Rift Valley; its range may extend south to Kenya, perhaps further. Some earlier records from Ethiopia represent Phrynobatrachus inexpectatus, described as a new species in 2001. The specific name minutus refers to the small size of this frog. Common names tiny river frog and Ethiopian dwarf puddle frog have been coined for it.

Phrynobatrachus pakenhami is a frog species in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to Pemba Island off Tanzania. It is similar to Phrynobatrachus acridoides, its sister species, but the two species differ in ecology and male advertisement call. On the other hand, the recently described, supposed diminutive species P. nigripes was simply based on juveniles and subadults of P. pakenhami.

Phrynobatrachus parkeri is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to the west-central and northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is only known from a few widely separated localities. It is similar to Phrynobatrachus acridoides(Cope, 1867), and it might be a synonym of the latter. The specific name parkeri honors Hampton Wildman Parker, an English zoologist and herpetologist. Common name Parker's river frog has been coined for it.

<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.

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

Phrynobatrachus perpalmatus is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in the area stretching from the central and southern Sudan southward through South Sudan and central/eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, extreme western Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi, and Zambia to northern Mozambique; its range might extend into northern Zimbabwe. Common names Lake Mwero river frog and webbed puddle frog have been proposed for it.

Phrynobatrachus scapularis is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to the northern and northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The specific name scapularis refers to shoulder blades (scapulae). Common name Buta river frog has been coined for it.

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 uzungwensis is a species of frogs in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is endemic to eastern Tanzania and is known from the Udzungwa, Uluguru, Nguu, and Nguru Mountains. Common names Ukinga puddle frog and Udzungwa puddle frog have been coined for this species.

Phrynobatrachus versicolor is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in northwestern Burundi, western Rwanda, southwestern Uganda, and adjacent eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Common names Rwanda river frog and green puddle frog have been coined for it. The specific name versicolor, derived from the Latin versare and color, and refers to its variable dorsal colouration.

Ptychadena perreti is a species of frog in the family Ptychadenidae. It is found in Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, southwestern Central African Republic and northern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It might occur in the Cabinda enclave of Angola and mainland Equatorial Guinea. Common name Perret's grassland frog has been coined for it.

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.

Phrynobatrachus africanus is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, southwestern Central African Republic, western Republic of the Congo, and north-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its range might extend into Nigeria. The IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, however, considers the limits of its range unknown and does not include the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the range.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Phrynobatrachus rungwensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T58138A18395617. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T58138A18395617.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Phrynobatrachus rungwensis (Loveridge, 1932)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 Loveridge, Arthur (1932). "New reptiles and amphibians from Tanganyika Territory and Kenya Colony". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 72: 375–387.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Zimkus, Breda (2014). "Phrynobatrachus rungwensis (Loveridge, 1932)". African Amphibians. Retrieved 29 March 2018.