''Callulina laphami'' 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 ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Brevicipitidae Brevicipitidae or rain frogs is a small family of frogs found in eastern and southern Africa. As of 2020 contains 37 species in 5 genera. eb application 2013. Berkeley, CaliforniaBrevicipitidae AmphibiaWeb, available at http://amphibiaweb.org/. ...

. It was discovered in 2010 during a survey of rainforests in the northern part of the

Eastern Arc Mountains The Eastern Arc Mountains is a chain of mountains found in Kenya and Tanzania. The chain runs from northeast to southwest, with the Taita Hills being in Kenya and the other ranges being in Tanzania. They are delimited on the southwest by the fau ...

of Tanzania. It is present at a single location in the Kindoroko and Minja Forest Reserves in the

Pare Mountains The Pare Mountains are a mountain range in northeastern Tanzania, located north of the Usambara Mountains. The mountains are administratively located in the Kilimanjaro Region, specifically in the Mwanga District and Same District. The North and ...

. The forest area in which this frog lives is a remnant patch of a larger forest with trees in the surrounding area being felled for agricultural development, and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has rated the frog's conservation status as " critically endangered".

Description

''Callulina laphami'' is a robust species of brevicipitid frog with a plump body and distinctive ridges of glands on its arms and legs. It has no

tympani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

and no enlarged pads on the tips of its fingers and toes. Males have a snout-to-vent length of while females vary from . This frog's dorsal surface is dark brown, its flanks are tan and its ventral surface yellowish-cream. In most individuals there is a red-coloured band between the eyes, but in some individuals, this band is green. The call, emitted by the male, is a rapid series of pulsed trills.

Distribution

This frog is known only from a single block of undisturbed forest in the northern

near the border between Kenya and Tanzania, at altitudes between ; the forest block is formed by the Kindoroko and Minja Forest Reserves and is surrounded by land that has been cleared for settlement.

Ecology

''C. laphami'' is found in humid montane forests, sometimes occurring in the vicinity of streams and sometimes on drier ridges. It hides under rocks or logs during the day and at night can be found clambering in bushes and low trees a metre or two off the ground. Its breeding habits are unknown but it is likely that juvenile frogs develop directly from eggs laid on the ground without an intervening larval stage.

Status

The block of forest in which ''C. laphami'' lives has an area of about and is surrounded by cleared land which is unsuitable habitat for this forest-dwelling species. Although the forest parcel consists of two forest reserves where the frog receives some protection, small-scale logging and human encroachment continues inside the reserve boundaries. At the moment the frog is present in reasonable numbers but its restricted range makes it at risk from even small alterations to its environment, and the

has rated its conservation status as " critically endangered".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2934311 Callulina Endemic fauna of Tanzania Amphibians of Tanzania Frogs of Africa Amphibians described in 2010