''Leptodactylodon bueanus'' 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 ...

s 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 western

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west- central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...

and known from the eastern slope of

Mount Cameroon Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the South West region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous ...

and from Bimbia Hill near Limbe. It was originally described as a subspecies of ''

Leptodactylodon albiventris ''Leptodactylodon albiventris'' is a species of frog 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 terre ...

'' and is also similar to ''

Leptodactylodon stevarti ''Leptodactylodon stevarti'' is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is known with certainty only from the area of its Type locality (biology), type locality, Monts de Cristal in northwestern Gabon. Only two specimens are known. How ...

''.

Description

Adult males measure in snout–vent length. The dorsum is brown anteriorly and beige posteriorly. The thighs are brown. The venter is clear and the throat is blackish with white spots.

Gular Gular is of or pertaining to the throat, and may more specifically refer to: * Gular scales in reptiles * Gular scute, or gular projection, in turtles and tortoises * Gular fold in lizards * Gular skin, or gular sac, in birds and some gibbons Ot ...

folds are present. Breeding males have three (but occasionally only 1–2)

metacarpal In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus form the intermediate part of the skeletal hand located between the phalanges of the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist, which forms the connection to the forearm. The metacarpal bones ...

spines.

Habitat and conservation

''Leptodactylodon bueanus'' occurs in and around streams and springs in forest at elevations of

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

, often sheltering in rocky areas. The

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 develop in streams. ''Leptodactylodon bueanus'' is locally abundant and is typically found in degraded forest, but requires dense vegetation in order to survive. It is probably 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 ...

caused by

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

farming activities, subsistence wood extraction, and human settlements. There are no records from protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q512120 bueanus Frogs of Africa Endemic fauna of Cameroon Amphibians of Cameroon Amphibians described in 1981 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot