''Phlyctimantis keithae'' (common names: Keith's striped frog, Keith's wot-wot, wot-wot) 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

Hyperoliidae The Hyperoliidae, or sedge frogs and bush frogs, are a large family of small to medium-sized, brightly colored frogs which contains more than 250 species in 19 genera. Seventeen genera are native to sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the monotypic ...

. 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 the

Udzungwa Mountains The Udzungwa Mountains are a mountain range in south-central Tanzania. The mountains are mostly within Iringa Region, south of Tanzania's capital Dodoma. The Udzungwa Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse ...

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 ...

. The specific name ''keithae'' honors Rolanda Keith, an American herpetologist.

Description

''Phlyctimantis keithae'' are medium-sized tree frogs: adult males measure in snout–vent length. Discs are small and toe webbing is reduced. The dorsum is blackish with olive tinge. There are minute white spots on tiny warts. The ventrum is mottled with black and light bluish. The concealed parts of limbs are striped or mottled with black and orange-red. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

is dark olive brown. ''Phlyctimantis keithae'' can assume a defensive posture where the frog rapidly twists onto its back and throws its limbs across the body. This makes it look very little frog-like, and probably serves as camouflage, perhaps conflicting with the potential predator's

search image Prey detection is the process by which predators are able to detect and locate their prey via sensory signals. This article treats predation in its broadest sense, i.e. where one organism eats another. Evolutionary struggle and prey defenses Pr ...

Habitat and conservation

''Phlyctimantis keithae'' occurs in forests, montane grasslands, and open farmland near forests 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 ...

. Breeding takes place in shallow pools (including artificial ponds) with emergent vegetation. It is probably a forest species moving to open areas for breeding. Males call concealed in grass-tufts near the water's edge. This rarely encountered species has a restricted range and is 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 ...

and change (afforestation with alien species,

agricultural expansion Agricultural expansion describes the growth of agricultural land ( arable land, pastures, etc.) especially in the 20th and 21st centuries. The agricultural expansion is often explained as a direct consequence of the global increase in food and e ...

, fires used to maintain pastureland, and human settlement). It is not known to occur in any protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2209341 keithae Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Tanzania Endemic fauna of Tanzania Taxa named by Arne Schiøtz Amphibians described in 1975 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot