''Leptodactylodon mertensi'' 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
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 mountains of western
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
and occurs on the southern slopes of the
Bamileke Plateau,
Mount Nlonako
The Mont Nlonako Wildlife Reserve is a wildlife reserve and a proposed protected area (WDPA ID: 308631) in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. This nature reserve covers an area of approximately , on the south-east side of the city of Nkongsamba
...
, and
Mount Manengouba.
[ The ]specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
''mertensi'' honours Robert Mertens
Robert Friedrich Wilhelm Mertens (1 December 1894 – 23 August 1975) was a German herpetologist. Several taxa of reptiles are named after him.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore ...
, a German zoologist and herpetologist. Common name Mertens' egg frog has been coined for it.
''Leptodactylodon mertensi'' occurs in montane and lower montane forest 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 lives in dense undergrowth and in dense herbage of raffia palm
Raffia palms are members of the genus ''Raphia''. The Malagasy name is derived from ' "to squeeze juice". The genus contains about twenty species of palms native to tropical regions of Africa, and especially Madagascar, with one species ('' R ...
beds along streams. Males call
Call or Calls may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
* Call (poker), a bet matching an opponent's
* Call, in the game of contract bridge, a bid, pass, double, or redouble in the bidding stage
Music and dance
* Call (band), from L ...
near pools and riffles in small streams, or in waterlogged humus near springs. It is typically not found in rocky areas. Breeding takes place in small streams.
It is threatened by 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 ...
caused by agricultural encroachment, agrochemical
An agrochemical or agrichemical, a contraction of ''agricultural chemical'', is a chemical product used in industrial agriculture. Agrichemical typically refers to biocides (pesticides including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and nematicide ...
s, expanding human settlements, wood extraction, and unsustainable harvest of bark from ''Prunus africana
''Prunus africana'', the African cherry, has a wide distribution in Africa, occurring in montane regions of central and southern Africa and on the islands of Bioko, São-Tomé, Grande Comore, and Madagascar. It can be found at above sea level. I ...
''. It is not known to occur in any protected areas.
References
Leptodactylodon
Frogs of Africa
Amphibians of Cameroon
Endemic fauna of Cameroon
Amphibians described in 1959
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Fauna of the Cameroonian Highlands forests
{{Arthroleptidae-stub