''Astylosternus montanus'', also known as the mountain night frog or montane night frog, is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Arthroleptidae The Arthroleptidae are a family (biology), 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 restrict ...

. It is found in the mountains of western Cameroon and into the

Obudu Plateau --> Obudu Plateau is a plateau found on the Oshie Ridge of the Sankwala Mountain range, in Cross River State, in the southeast of Nigeria. The plateau is found in Obanliku local government area of the Cross River State. The plateau extends toward ...

in adjacent south-eastern Nigeria.

Description

''Astylosternus montanus'' has a short, stocky body. Males grow to and females to in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

. The head is slightly longer than it is wide. The legs are strong and relatively short. The dorsum is granular posteriorly and has few to many short dorsolateral ridges. The dorsum varies in colouration: beige, yellow, grey, or chocolate brown, and bears many distinctly delimited black blotches. The ventral parts are dull yellow with darker patterning. Males have a large black nuptial pad on the thumb and dense spines in the throat. The male advertisement call is a brief and strong "dlouk", "hou", or "rrra".

Habitat and conservation

''Astylosternus montanus'' occurs in or near flowing water in lower montane and submontane forest or herbaceous vegetation and gallery forests at elevations of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. It can roam to relatively dry areas along forest tracks and in agricultural areas during night. It can tolerate slightly deforestation but always requires canopy cover. It breeds in flowing water. The males call from rock cavities or from in the water. ''Astylosternus montanus'' is a common species, but it probably suffers from some

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and deterioration, despite showing a degree of adaptability. It may locally suffer from harvesting for consumption. It is not known to occur in any protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q577651 Astylosternus Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Cameroon Amphibians of West Africa Fauna of Nigeria Taxa named by Jean-Louis Amiet Amphibians described in 1978 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fauna of the Cameroonian Highlands forests