''Amietia ruwenzorica'' (Ruwenzori Range frog or Ruwenzori river frog) is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the family

Pyxicephalidae The Pyxicephalidae are a family of frogs currently found in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in the Eocene, the taxon '' Thaumastosaurus'' lived in Europe. Classification The Pyxicephalidae contain two subfamilies, with a total of 12 genera. This f ...

. It is found in the eastern

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and western

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

, including the eponymous

Rwenzori Mountains The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches , and the range' ...

on the Uganda/DRC border as well as Kabobo Plateau and

Itombwe Mountains The Itombwe Mountains (or Itombwe Massif, Plateau) are a range of mountains in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They run along the west shore of the northern part of Lake Tanganyika. They contain a vast area o ...

in DRC.

Description

Adult males can grow to and adult females to in snout–vent length. The toes are partially webbed. Skin is smooth in females and spiny in males. The supratympanic fold is nearly straight. The dorsolateral ridges are narrow and distinct. The dorsum is pale tan with irregular small dark brown marks. The dorsolateral folds are marked by narrow longitudinal marks. The nostril is surrounded by a dark spot that extends as a thin line to the eye, encloses the dark tympanum, and finally tapers to the arm insertion. The limbs have narrow dark crossbars. The ventral surfaces are white to yellow; brown mottling is sometimes present. A

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

Gosner stage Gosner stage is a generalized system of describing stages of embryonal and larval development in anurans (frogs and toads). The Gosner system includes 46 numbered stages, from fertilized embryo (stage 1) to the completion of metamorphosis (stage ...

34 measures in total length, two thirds of which is tail. The body is streamlined, with the oral disc forming a wide sucker.

Habitat and conservation

''Amietia ruwenzorica'' occurs in submontane and montane rainforests 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 comb ...

. It lives in and around streams, it breeding habitat. Reproduction takes place in the dry season. This species is threatened by the general decline in the quality and extent of its habitat, caused by expanding human settlements, wood collection and logging, and

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 ene ...

Artisanal mining An artisanal miner or small-scale miner (ASM) is a subsistence miner who is not officially employed by a mining company, but works independently, mining minerals using their own resources, usually by hand. Small-scale mining includes enterprises ...

could be a threat in some areas where this species is suspected to occur. It occurs in several protected areas:

Virunga National Park , iucn_category = II , iucn_ref = , location = Democratic Republic of the Congo , map = Democratic Republic of the Congo , relief = 1 , coordinates = , area = , established = , nearest_city = Goma , photo =Virunga National Park-107997 ...

Itombwe Nature Reserve The Itombwe Nature Reserve is a protected area in the Itombwe Mountains of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve covers . It is part of a Lion Conservation Unit. The reserve is home to the critically endangered eastern lowlan ...

, and Kabobo Natural Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and

Rwenzori Mountains National Park Rwenzori Mountains National Park is a Ugandan national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Rwenzori Mountains. Almost in size, the park has Africa's third highest mountain peak and many waterfalls, lakes, and glaciers. The park i ...

in Uganda.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2243082 ruwenzorica Frogs of Africa Amphibians of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Amphibians of Uganda Amphibians described in 1972 Taxa named by Raymond Laurent Taxonomy articles created by Polbot