''Astylosternus fallax'', also known as the Fopouanga night frog, is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

in the family

Arthroleptidae The Arthroleptidae are a family of frogs found in sub-Saharan Africa. This group includes African treefrogs in the genus '' Leptopelis'' along with the terrestrial breeding squeakers '' Arthroleptis'', and several genera restricted to the Guin ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to south-western Cameroon where it is known only from between

Yabassi Yabassi is a town and commune in western Cameroon, and capital of the Nkam department. Its population in 2001 was estimated at 12,000. The main dialect spoken is the Yabassi. However, there are also other dialects originating in the Nkam which ar ...

and

Nkongsamba Nkongsamba is a city in western Cameroon. It is in the Moungo department, which is in the Littoral region. As of the 2005 Census, the city had a population of 104,050. It is a centre for the farming of palm oil, bananas and coffee, and is betw ...

, from Mount Yuhan in the

Korup National Park Korup National Park is in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and extends over 1,260 km2 of mostly undisturbed primary forest. It is reputedly one of Africa’s oldest and richest tropical forests in terms of floral and faunal diversity. It i ...

, and from Mount Nta Ali in the

Mamfe Mamfe or Mamfé is a city in and the capital of Manyu, a division of the Southwest Region in Cameroon. It is from the border of Nigeria, on the Manyu River. It has a population of 36,500 (2017 estimate). It is known as a centre for tradition ...

basin.

Description

Tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found ...

s are long and slender with a long, muscular tail. The body is oval. Tadpoles in

Gosner stage Gosner stage is a generalized system of describing stages of embryonal and larval development in anurans (frogs and toads). The Gosner system includes 46 numbered stages, from fertilized embryo (stage 1) to the completion of metamorphosis (stage ...

25 measure in total length.

Habitat and conservation

''Astylosternus fallax'' lives and breeds in and near rivers and slow-flowing streams in lowland and hilly closed-canopy forests, mostly below . Males

call Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call, a type of betting in poker * Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage Music and dance * Call (band), from Lahore, Pak ...

from amidst dead leaves on the river banks near water. It is a common species, albeit known from only few locations. However, within its very small range it is severely threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, which is primarily driven by human settlement and agricultural encroachment. Human consumption might also be a threat. This species is present in the Korup National Park.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2240251 fallax Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Cameroon Endemic fauna of Cameroon Amphibians described in 1978 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Jean-Louis Amiet