''Arthroleptis kutogundua'', also known as the overlooked squeaker 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

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 has not been seen since 1930, and is believed to be possibly extinct.

Taxonomy

Originally, ''Arthroleptis kutogundua'' was incorrectly identified as ''

Arthroleptis adolfifriederici ''Arthroleptis adolfifriederici'' is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda. Several common names have been coined for it, including Rugege Forest ...

''. It was formally described as a new species in 2012 by David C. Blackburn. He gave it the specific epithet 'kutogundua' from a Kiswahili word for 'to not discover', referring to the fact that its original collector did not recognize it as a new species.

Description

''Arthroleptis kutogundua'' is larger than most members of its genus, with the only known specimen being 44.4mm long. They have longer toes and less prominent tympanums than other members of their genus as well.

Habitat and distribution

''Arthroleptis kutogundua'' is only known from its type locality, Ngozi Crater in the Poronto Mountains of Tanzania. The holotype was collected while hopping on the sodden forest floor, and the species is believed to believed to be terrestrial and associated with leaf litter.

History

The holotype and only known specimen of ''Arthroleptis kutogundua'' was an adult female, collected on March 19th, 1930 by herpetologist Arthur Loveridge. He incorrectly identified it as ''Arthroleptis adolfifriederici''. The species has not been seen since then. In 2012, herpetologist David Blackburn reassessed the specimen, and identified it as a new species. His recommendation was that the species be classed as Data Deficient by the IUCN. The IUCN assessed the species on October 1st, 2012, and classified it as Critically Endangered and possibly extinct.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2864927 kutogundua Amphibians of Tanzania Endemic fauna of Tanzania Amphibians described in 2012