Arthroleptis reichei

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Arthroleptis reichei

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Arthroleptidae
Genus: Arthroleptis
Species:
A. reichei
Binomial name
Arthroleptis reichei
Nieden, 1911

Arthroleptis reichei is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the mountains of eastern and southern Tanzania and northern Malawi.[1][2] It has several vernacular names: Poroto screeching frog, large-toad squeaker, Poroto Mountains screeching frog, and Reiche's squeaker.[1][2][3] The specific name reichei honours Karl Friedrich Reiche, a German botanist.[4]

Description[]

A. reichei is a small Arthroleptis species: adult males measure 21–28 mm (0.8–1.1 in) and adult females 21–32 mm (0.8–1.3 in) in snout–vent length.[3][5][6] The head is narrow and the legs are long. The tympanum is small and is oval in shape.[3] The finger and the toe tips are expanded.[5] The dorsum is brown, usually with a darker hourglass pattern and a pale line or triangle between the eyes.[3]

The male advertisement call consists of irregular repetition of a single whistling note, with a duration of up 30 seconds and consisting of maximally 64 notes. The note repetition rate is about 2.3 per second. There is a dominant frequency at about 3400–3500 Hz.[6]

Habitat and conservation[]

Arthroleptis reichei occurs in montane forests at elevations of 1,500–2,200 m (4,900–7,200 ft) above sea level. It is a leaf-litter species living on the forest floor. Males call from low shrubs and in wild banana plants. As other members of the genus, it probably breeds by direct development[1] (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage[7]).

It is relatively abundant within its known range, but is threatened by habitat loss caused by agricultural activities, small-scale wood extraction, and expanding human settlements. It is known to occur in several protected areas.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Arthroleptis reichei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T54382A16934415. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T54382A16934415.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Arthroleptis reichei Nieden, 1911". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Zimkus, Breda (2014). "Leptopelis aubryi (Duméril, 1856)". African Amphibians. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  4. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-907807-42-8.
  5. ^ a b Blackburn, David C. (2012). "New species of Arthroleptis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Ngozi Crater in the Poroto Mountains of southwestern Tanzania". Journal of Herpetology. 46 (1): 129–135. doi:10.1670/10-322. S2CID 83826878.
  6. ^ a b Mercurio, Vincenzo (2009). "Advertisement calls of three species of Arthroleptis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Malawi". Journal of Herpetology. 43 (2): 345–350. doi:10.1670/08-119R1.1. JSTOR 25599225. S2CID 85606085.
  7. ^ Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.
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