| Arthroleptis reichei | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
 Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Arthroleptidae |
| Genus: | Arthroleptis |
| Species: | A. reichei |
| Binomial name | |
| Arthroleptis reichei Nieden, 1911 | |
Arthroleptis reichei is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the mountains of eastern and southern Tanzania and northern Malawi. It has several vernacular names: Poroto screeching frog, large-toad squeaker, Poroto Mountains screeching frog, and Reiche's squeaker. The specific name reichei honours Karl Friedrich Reiche, a German botanist.
Description
A. reichei is a small Arthroleptis species: adult males measure 21–28 mm (0.8–1.1 in) and adult females 21–32 mm (0.8–1.3 in) in snout–vent length. The head is narrow and the legs are long. The tympanum is small and is oval in shape. The finger and the toe tips are expanded. The dorsum is brown, usually with a darker hourglass pattern and a pale line or triangle between the eyes.
The male advertisement call consists of irregular repetition of a single whistling note, with a duration of up 30 seconds and consisting of maximally 64 notes. The note repetition rate is about 2.3 per second. There is a dominant frequency at about 3400–3500 Hz.
Habitat and conservation
Arthroleptis reichei occurs in montane forests at elevations of 1,500–2,200 m (4,900–7,200 ft) above sea level. It is a leaf-litter species living on the forest floor. Males call from low shrubs and in wild banana plants. As other members of the genus, it probably breeds by direct development (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage).
It is relatively abundant within its known range, but is threatened by habitat loss caused by agricultural activities, small-scale wood extraction, and expanding human settlements. It is known to occur in several protected areas.
References
- ^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Arthroleptis reichei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T54382A16934415. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T54382A16934415.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2019). "Arthroleptis reichei Nieden, 1911". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Zimkus, Breda (2014). "Leptopelis aubryi (Duméril, 1856)". African Amphibians. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-907807-42-8.
- ^ Blackburn, David C. (2012). "New species of Arthroleptis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Ngozi Crater in the Poroto Mountains of southwestern Tanzania". Journal of Herpetology. 46 (1): 129–135. doi:10.1670/10-322. S2CID 83826878.
- ^ Mercurio, Vincenzo (2009). "Advertisement calls of three species of Arthroleptis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Malawi". Journal of Herpetology. 43 (2): 345–350. doi:10.1670/08-119R1.1. JSTOR 25599225. S2CID 85606085.
- Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Arthroleptis reichei | |