''Ericabatrachus'' is a genus 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 ...

s in the family Ericabatrachidae

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

Bale Mountains The Bale Mountains (also known as the Urgoma Mountains) are mountain ranges in the Oromia Region of southeast Ethiopia, south of the Awash River, part of the Ethiopian Highlands. They include Mount Tullu Demtu, Tullu Demtu, the fourth-highest mou ...

in Ethiopia. It is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

, being represented by the single species ''Ericabatrachus baleensis'', commonly known as the Bale Mountains frog. It was previously included in the family

Petropedetidae The Petropedetidae are a family of frogs containing two genera and 11 species. They are found in sub-Saharan tropical Africa and are sometimes known under common name African torrent frogs. They are inhabitants of the splash-water zone of clear ...

, but has gotten its own monotypic family, Ericabatrachidae.

Taxonomy

''Ericabatrachus baleensis'' is

within its genus and family. The phylogenetic relationships of this poorly known species have been debated, but molecular analyses has placed it the family

, instead of Phrynobatrachidae or

Pyxicephalidae The Pyxicephalidae are a Family (biology), 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 1 ...

, where it has also been placed. It was updated again in 2021, placing it in the family Ericabatrachidae.

Description

Bale Mountains frogs are small; adult males measure 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 ...

and females . Their fingers are not webbed and toes have rudimentary webbing. Adult males have well-defined femoral glands.

Habitat and conservation

Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are grassy banks of small, fast-flowing streams in giant heath woodland and adjoining ''

Astropanax ''Astropanax'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae, native to Tropical Africa, Madagascar, and other Indian Ocean islands. It was resurrected from ''Schefflera ''Schefflera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ar ...

''–''

Hagenia ''Hagenia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plant with the sole species ''Hagenia abyssinica'', native to the high-elevation Afromontane regions of central and eastern Africa. It also has a disjunct distribution in the high mountains of East ...

'' forest. It is

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

because its range is extremely small and the habitat is under threat from trampling of streams, deforestation, and settlement development, despite being located in the

Bale Mountains National Park Bale Mountains National Park is a national park in Ethiopia. The park encompasses an area of approximately in the Bale Mountains and Sanetti Plateau of the Ethiopian Highlands. The park's Afromontane habitats have one of the highest incidences o ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q11843209, from2=Q1311170 Ranoidea Monotypic amphibian genera Amphibians of Ethiopia Endemic fauna of Ethiopia Bale Mountains Fauna of the Ethiopian Highlands Critically endangered fauna of Africa Amphibians described in 1991 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot