''Chiromantis petersii'' 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

Rhacophoridae The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs that occur in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are com ...

. It is found in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

and is broadly distributed in the inland areas of both countries. ''

Chiromantis kelleri ''Chiromantis kelleri'' is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is found in eastern and southern Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and Somalia; its range probably extends into South Sudan. The specific name ''kelleri'' honours who collecte ...

'' was previously considered subspecies of ''Chiromantis petersii'', but is currently recognized as a distinct species. These two species are

sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species s ...

in northern Kenya.

Etymology and common names

The specific name ''petersii'' honours

Wilhelm Peters Wilhelm Karl Hartwich (or Hartwig) Peters (22 April 1815 in Koldenbüttel – 20 April 1883) was a German naturalist and explorer. He was assistant to the anatomist Johannes Peter Müller and later became curator of the Berlin Zoological Mus ...

, German zoologist and traveller. Common names Peters' foam-nest treefrog, Peters' foam-nest frog, and central foam-nest tree frog have been proposed for it.

Description

Males grow to a

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 ...

of and females to . The dorsum is rough and has usually grey and brown colouration, sometimes with darker markings. The throat is pale and may have black speckles. The fingers and the toes are partially webbed and bear small terminal discs. The male advertisement call is a series of quiet creaks.

Habitat and conservation

''Chiromantis petersii'' occurs in dry

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

woodland, generally in areas receiving less than 800 mm rain per year. It also occurs in agricultural and suburban situations. Breeding takes place in temporary pools and involves foam nests. It is a widespread and reasonably common species. It is probably not experiencing significant threats, although it might locally be impacted by overgrazing. It is sometimes present in the international pet trade. It occurs in a number of protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2705402 petersii Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Kenya Amphibians of Tanzania Amphibians described in 1882 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

Etymology and common names

Description

Habitat and conservation

See also

References