The palm forest tree frog (''Leptopelis palmatus'') 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 ...

which 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 ...

Príncipe Príncipe (; ) is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Cens ...

island in

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two archipelagos around the two main isla ...

. Red tree frog '' Leptopelis rufus'' from the African mainland was for a long time included in this species, but is now considered a distinct species.

Description

The palm forest tree frog is a large species: females measure in snout–vent length. The tympanum is large and the feet are fully webbed. The colouring varies, but the dorsum is typically dark green to black, sometimes with many light spots giving the frog a marbled appearance. The ventrum is dark and has a granular surface. Compared to the red tree frog, this species has larger

choanae The choanae (: choana), posterior nasal apertures or internal nostrils are two openings found at the back of the nasal passage between the nasal cavity and the pharynx, in humans and other mammals (as well as crocodilians and most skinks). They ...

(the apertures where the nasal passages join the throat), larger tympani and differences in skin texture.

Habitat and conservation

The 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 of palm forest tree frog are wet forests along the edges of creeks and streams to

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 ...

, possibly to 1000 m. It also occurs in forest remnants and possibly in towns. It is believed that eggs are buried close to water; when they hatch, the

tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s move into pools or streams where they complete their development. It is a reasonably common species throughout the island, although

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 ...

through development is a potential future threat. This frog is not present in any protected areas, and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being "endangered", and considers that the population requires careful monitoring.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2241108 palmatus Endemic vertebrates of São Tomé and Príncipe Endemic fauna of Príncipe Amphibians described in 1868 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters Frogs of Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot