''Probreviceps uluguruensis'' 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

Brevicipitidae Brevicipitidae or rain frogs is a small Family (biology), family of frogs found in eastern and southern Africa. As of 2025 contains 38 species in 5 genera. eb application 2013. Berkeley, CaliforniaBrevicipitidae AmphibiaWeb, available at http ...

. 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

Uluguru Mountains The Uluguru mountains are a mountain range in eastern Tanzania, named after the Luguru people, Luguru tribe. The main portion of the Uluguru mountains is a ridge running roughly north-south and rising to altitude at its highest point. On the ma ...

, Tanzania. Common names Uluguru big-fingered frog and Uluguru forest frog have been proposed for it.

Description

Males grow to and females to 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 ...

. The eyes are small and the tympanum is not visible. The dorsum is rough and cream to brown in colour. There is a pair of pale lateral bands that in some females might be deep red. The lower surfaces are purple. The eyes are pale to orange-brown. The male advertisement call is a brief, low-pitched chirp.

Habitat and conservation

''Probreviceps uluguruensis'' occurs in montane grasslands, but also marginally in montane forests, 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 is a semi-

fossorial A fossorial animal () is one that is adapted to digging and which lives primarily (but not solely) underground. Examples of fossorial vertebrates are Mole (animal), moles, badgers, naked mole-rats, meerkats, armadillos, wombats, and mole salamand ...

frog that lives on the ground. The eggs are deposited under grass tufts in burrows and have direct development (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage). This species tolerates marginally disturbed habitats and can locally be relatively common. However, its range is relatively small and its habitat can be adversely affected by human-induced fires and

forest loss Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then land conversion, converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or u ...

. It occurs in the Uluguru Nature Reserve, relatively well-protected reserve.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q284628 Uluguruensis Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Tanzania Endemic fauna of Tanzania Amphibians described in 1925 Taxa named by Arthur Loveridge Taxonomy articles created by Polbot