Probreviceps rhodesianus

Last updated

Probreviceps rhodesianus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Brevicipitidae
Genus: Probreviceps
Species:
P. rhodesianus
Binomial name
Probreviceps rhodesianus
Poynton  [ fr ] and Broadley, 1967

Probreviceps rhodesianus is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. At present, it is only known from three localities in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe north of Mutare; it is thus endemic to that country. However, it is possible that its range extends to adjacent Mozambique. [1] [2] This species has many common names: forest rain frog, highland primitive rain frog, highland rain frog, and Zimbabwe big-fingered frog. [1] [2]

Contents

Description

Males grow to 35 mm (1.4 in) and females to 49 mm (1.9 in) in snout–vent length. The tympanum is clearly visible. Skin is densely granular but has no ridges nor larger warts. Males have looser gular skin than females. The cloacal opening in both sexes has an unusual, ventrally deflected position and is surrounded by deep skin folds; the functional significance of this remains unknown. [3]

Habitat and conservation

Its natural habitats are primary montane forests above 1,500 m (4,900 ft). [1] It is a terrestrial species that is usually found under rotten logs or under accumulations of leaf litter, [1] formed, e.g., on the uphill side of logs. [3] Eggs are laid terrestrially (in chamber in humus) and develop directly into froglets. [1] [3]

This species is believed to be reasonably common, although its range is small and there are no recorded sightings since 1985. It is threatened by habitat loss, logging, and trampling. It is present in the Nyanga National Park, but the aforementioned threats are present in the park too. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Probreviceps</i> Genus of amphibians

Probreviceps is a small genus of brevicipitine frogs with only six members. They occur in the montane forests of Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and possibly Mozambique. They are sometimes known as the forest frogs, forest rain frogs, big-fingered frogs, or primitive rain frogs.

<i>Leptopelis</i> Genus of amphibians

Leptopelis is a genus of frogs in the family Arthroleptidae. They are found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding Madagascar. It is placed in monotypic subfamily Leptopelinae, although this subfamily is not always recognized. They have a number of common names, including forest treefrogs, tree frogs, leaf-frogs, and big-eyed frogs.

<i>Mertensophryne usambarae</i> Species of amphibian

Mertensophryne usambarae is a critically endangered species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the foothills of the East Usambara Mountains, northeastern Tanzania.

<i>Callimedusa atelopoides</i> Species of frog

Callimedusa atelopoides is a species of frog in the family Phyllomedusidae. It is known from Amazonian Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru, and is likely to be found in adjacent Colombia and Ecuador. Common name toady leaf frog has been proposed for it.

<i>Hyperolius swynnertoni</i> Species of frog

Hyperolius swynnertoni is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in the southern portion of the eastern Zimbabwe uplands and adjacent Mozambique. It is also known as the Swynnerton's reed frog, with the subspecies "broadleyi" as the Broadley's tree frog or Broadley's forest treefrog.

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.

Leptopelis parbocagii, also known as Lake Upemba forest treefrog or cryptic tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. The specific name parbocagii refers to its similarity to Leptopelis bocagii.

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

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.

Cryptobatrachus fuhrmanni is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs on all three Andean cordilleras: it is found on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Occidental, northern and eastern flanks of the Cordillera Central, and the western slope of the Cordillera Oriental. The specific name fuhrmanni honors Otto Fuhrmann, Swiss zoologist and helmintologist.

Pristimantis eremitus is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is found in the Cordillera Occidental in northwestern Ecuador from the Cotopaxi Province northward and on western slope of the Colombian Massif in the Nariño Department, extreme southwestern Colombia. The specific name eremitus is Latin for "lonely" or "solitary" and refers to this species being the only western-Andean species among its closest relatives. Common names Chiriboga robber frog and lonely rainfrog have been coined for it.

Eleutherodactylus rufescens, commonly known as the red peeping frog or Nevado de Colima chirping frog, is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae. It is endemic to Mexico and known from the region of the eponymous Nevado de Colima mountain in Colima, Jalisco, and further east and south in the Jalisco and Michoacán states. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

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>Petropedetes johnstoni</i> Species of frog

Petropedetes johnstoni is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is endemic to coastal Cameroon and known with certainty only from few localities. For a period, Petropedetes newtonii was considered a junior synonym of this species, leading to a much broader distribution. The two species are now considered distinct, but information on Petropedetes johnstonisensu stricto is limited. Common name Johnston's water frog has been coined for this species.

Phrynobatrachus gutturosus, the Chabanaud's river frog or guttural puddle frog, is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, possibly Benin, possibly Burkina Faso, possibly Guinea, possibly Mali, possibly Togo, and possibly Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, moist savanna, swampland, and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.

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 stewartae, also known as the Stewart's puddle frog or Stewart's river frog, is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in northern Malawi and south-central and western Tanzania. The specific name stewartae honours Margaret M. Stewart, an American herpetologist who wrote "Amphibians of Malawi" (1967) and collected the type series, originally identified as Phrynobatrachus gutturosus.

<i>Cornufer papuensis</i> Species of frog

Cornufer papuensis is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is found in the northern parts of New Guinea and in many surrounding islands, including the Bismarck Archipelago, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Trobriand Islands, and Maluku Islands including Sula Islands and Seram Island (Indonesia). Common name Papua wrinkled ground frog has been coined for the species.

The Chimanimani stream frog is a species of frog in the family Pyxicephalidae found in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Grey foam-nest tree frog Species of amphibian

The grey foam-nest tree frog, or southern foam-nest tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, urban areas, heavily degraded former forests, ponds, and canals and ditches.

Chalcorana chalconota is a species of "true frog", family Ranidae. It is endemic to Indonesia and occurs in southern Sumatra, Java, Bali, and a few smaller islands. Populations previously assigned to this species now belong to a number of other Chalcorana species, leading to the current delineation of Chalcorana chalconota with a much narrower range. This species is also known as the Schlegel's frog, brown stream frog, copper-cheeked frog, or, among with many other species, white-lipped frog.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Probreviceps rhodesianus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T57981A16948694. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T57981A16948694.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Probreviceps rhodesianus Poynton and Broadley, 1967". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Poynton, John C. & Broadley, Donald G. (1985). "Amphibia Zambesiaca 1. Scolecomorphidae, Pipidae, Microhylidae, Hemisidae, Arthroleptidae". Annals of the Natal Museum. 26 (2): 503–553.