Barbour's tree frog

Leptopelis barbouri

Leptopelis barbouri is an African Froschlurch from the kind of wood dart frog ( Leptopelis ). The species is endemic to the montane rain forests in the east and south of Tanzania.

Description

The type is one of the smaller species of the genus, males have a head-body length of 34-39 mm, females 38-43 mm. The webbing between the toes are slightly marked. The eardrum is small and barely noticeable; the pupils are vertical slots. The frogs are almost monochrome translucent green, sometimes they show little golden spots. The throat and the belly of the males are blue-green, whitish to cream in females.

Vocalizations

The call of the male is a short buzz. The calls show a faint frequency peak at 1500 Hz, which is repeated approximately 100 times per second. ( Reputation of Leptopelis barbouri. )

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to the Usambara Mountains, in the Udzungwa Mountains and on Mount Rungwe in eastern and southern Tanzania. Leptopelis barbouri inhabited there tropical mountain rain forests at altitudes of 700-2100 meters. The overall range of the species is probably less than 20,000 km ² and disjoint.

Way of life

On the biology of the species is so far almost nothing is known. Males call at elevations between two and six meters on branches near streams and ponds. The spawn is deposited in depressions in the ground; the hatched tadpoles go to the nearby waters. A pair in amplexus was found on a hillside in loose ground about 10 meters from a small stream away. At this point, was not to be expected with the formation of water holes, so that the tadpoles to water obviously had to travel far country for a considerable distance.

Inventory and risk

The habitat of the species is increasingly drawn by the expansion of agriculture, deforestation and human settlement affected. In the eastern Usambara Mountains, the habitat recently by the activities of illegal gold prospectors is at immediate risk. The IUCN therefore classified the species as "vulnerable " (endangered ) a.

Swell

• Leptopelis barbouri at AmphibiaWeb ( Engl )

• Leptopelis barbouri in the Red List of Threatened Species IUCN 2008 Posted by: . Arne Schiøtz, Kim Howell, John Poynton, Tim Davenport, 2004 Retrieved on 21 November 2008.