''Breviceps fichus'' 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

Brevicipitidae Brevicipitidae or rain frogs is a small Family (biology), family of frogs found in eastern and southern Africa. As of 2025 contains 38 species in 5 genera. eb application 2013. Berkeley, CaliforniaBrevicipitidae AmphibiaWeb, available at http ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the central highlands of

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. Common name highland rain frog has been proposed for it.

Description

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 snout is bluntly rounded. The tympanum is not visible. Skin is pitted dorsally and smooth ventrally. The dorsum is brown with darker mottling. Dark bands run from the eyes to the arms. The lower parts are white. Throat is black in breeding males. The male advertisement call is a brief, low-pitched, pulsed whistle.

Habitat and conservation

''Breviceps fichus'' occurs in high-altitude grasslands at elevations above . Males call during the day from shallow burrows at the base of dense grass. Development is, presumably, direct (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage). Threats to this species are not known.

References

fichus Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Tanzania Endemic fauna of Tanzania Amphibians described in 2004 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Brevicipitidae-stub