The Hogsback frog (''Anhydrophryne rattrayi''), or Rattray's forest frog, is a species of frog in the family

Pyxicephalidae The Pyxicephalidae are a family of frogs currently found in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in the Eocene, the taxon '' Thaumastosaurus'' lived in Europe. Classification The Pyxicephalidae contain two subfamilies, with a total of 12 genera. This ...

. It is one of three species within the genus ''

Anhydrophryne ''Anhydrophryne'' is a genus of frogs in the family Pyxicephalidae, formerly in Petropedetidae. It is endemic to South Africa. Until recently, the genus was monotypic, containing only '' Anhydrophryne rattrayi'', until it absorbed two more specie ...

''. It is endemic to the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

province of South Africa.

Discovery

This frog was initially discovered and described in 1919 by Dr. Rattray in the Hogsback Mountain region of the

, South Africa.

Range

The frog is found in the Amotola (where the

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

, Hogsback is located), Katberg and Keiskammahoek mountains. Its habitat is the floor of forests near the forest edge at an altitude greater than 1100 m. It is particularly associated with the forest–grassland ecotone.

Biology

These small frogs are light-grey to dark-brown (sometimes coppery) in colour. The adult often has a thin pale line over its head and back, with two darker bands along either side. The belly is marbled (white and dark brown to black.) The female of the species is about 21 mm long. The male is considerably smaller and may be distinguished by a horny tip on its snout. The males have a short ‘ping’ call with up to 15 repeats in rapid succession, though single ‘pings’ may also be heard. These calls are typically heard at night, though the males are also active on rainy days. The frogs live on the forest floor among damp vegetable debris, particularly near open water. Their diets are principally composed of small arthropods, e.g. forest fleas and woodlice. Eggs are large (about 2.6 mm in diameter), white, and enclosed in a jelly capsule about 6 mm in size. Up to 20 such eggs are laid in a nest chamber, the diameter of which is around 20 mm, with a 10-mm opening to the surface. The opening is covered with

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

. The male is believed to dig the nest. Unusual amongst amphibians, they have direct development where eggs develop to small froglets without free-living tadpole stage. The nest needs to remain moist for successful development. The eggs take 26 days to develop and metamorphose, at which stage they leave the nest as 4-mm froglets.

Conservation

Due to its declining natural habitat, the Hogsback frog is currently classified as endangered.

References

* Wager, V. A. "Frogs of South Africa: Their Fascinating Life Stories." Delta Books, 1986. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2704336 Anhydrophryne Endemic amphibians of South Africa Frogs of Africa Amphibians described in 1919 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fauna of South Africa Endemic fauna of South Africa