''Arthroleptis francei'' 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

Arthroleptidae The Arthroleptidae are a family of frogs found in sub-Saharan Africa. This group includes African treefrogs in the genus ''Leptopelis'' along with the terrestrial breeding squeakers '' Arthroleptis'', and several genera restricted to the Guinea ...

. It is found in

Mount Mulanje Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

in southern

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

and in

Mount Namuli Mount Namuli is the second highest mountain in Mozambique and the highest in the Province of Zambezia. It is high and was measured, surveyed and described in 1886 by Henry Edward O'Neill, the British consul in Mozambique. The Namuli massif con ...

and

Mount Mabu Mount Mabu is a mountain in northern Mozambique, famous for its old-growth rain forest. Mount Mabu is approximately high and the forest covers about . While well known locally, the Mount Mabu forest and its extremely diverse wildlife were unkn ...

in northern

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. Records from the

Zomba Massif The Zomba Plateau, also called the Zomba Massif, is a mountain of the Shire Highlands in southern Malawi. Its total area is about , with a highest point of . The plateau is roughly pear-shaped. The southern portion is known as Zomba Mountain, a ...

(Malawi) require confirmation. Common names Ruo River screeching frog and France's squeaker have been coined for it.

Etymology

The specific name ''francei'' honours Mr. F. H. France, young forestry officer who perished in trying to cross the

Ruo River Ruo River is the largest tributary of the Shire River in southern Malawi and Mozambique. It originates from the Mulanje Massif (Malawi) and forms of the Malawi-Mozambique border. It joins the Shire River at Chiromo. The Ruo River watershed incl ...

close to the type locality of this species.

Arthur Loveridge Arthur Loveridge (28 May 1891 – 16 February 1980) was a British biologist and herpetologist who wrote about animals in East Africa, particularly Tanzania, and New Guinea. He gave scientific names to several gecko species in the region. Arthur ...

named the species after France so that "his name may be linked with the forests he sought to preserve on the mountain he loved so well."

Description

Males measure and females in snout–vent length. Loveridge reports slightly larger sizes for the same specimens, with maximum sizes of for males and females, respectively. The head is not wider than body. The tympanum is distinct and about half the diameter of the eye. The fingers and toes do not have webbing but their tips are swollen (only slightly so for the fingers). The dorsal colouration is dark brownish red. A deep black band edged with lighter above runs from the nostril, above the eye, and down to the forearm base. There is also a crossbar running between the eyes. There are also dusky markings (marbling) on the back, flanks, limbs and around anus.

Habitat and conservation

The species occurs in montane forest, including high-altitude

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

forests and pine plantations. It can also occur in the grassland adjacent the wooded areas, but this is considered a marginal habitat. Its elevational range is

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 leaf litter but can also climb trees. Threats to this species include logging, plantation of pines, spread of small-scale subsistence farming, and use of fire to manage grasslands. Part of the range receives some protection from the Mount Mulanje Biosphere Reserve.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1934116 francei Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Malawi Amphibians of Mozambique Taxa named by Arthur Loveridge Amphibians described in 1953 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot