Anchieta's tree frog (''Leptopelis anchietae''), also known as the
Huila forest treefrog, 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
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
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, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
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, coordina ...
. It is closely related to the
West Cameroon forest tree frog (''Leptopelis nordequatorialis'', formerly ''Leptopelis anchietae nordequatorialis'') and the
Garamba forest tree frog (''Leptopelis oryi'').
[
]
Description
Anchieta's tree frog has a brown back and legs. The legs are spotted with white spots, and the sides of its head and body are a darker brown. Male members of the species have pectoral glands; the West Cameroon forest tree frog and other members of the genus ''Leptopelis'' share this characteristic. The function of the pectoral glands is unknown, but they are made of glandules like the glandules in nuptial pads that appear on many species of amphibians. Thus, scientists speculate that the pectoral glands play a role in the frogs' mating process.
Etymology
The frog was named after José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta
José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta (variations José d'Anchieta, José Anchieta, José de Anchieta - b. October 9, 1832 in Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal, d. September 14, 1897 in Caconda, Portuguese Angola) was a 19th-century Portuguese explorer and ...
, a nineteenth-century Portuguese naturalist who collected many biological specimens in Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
and 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 ...
, by José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage
José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (2 May 1823 – 3 November 1907) was a Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museu Nacional de Lisboa in Lisbon. He published numerous works on mammals, birds, and fishes. In t ...
, a Portuguese zoologist who corresponded with Anchieta.[
]
Ecology
There are few records of the population range or behaviors of Anchieta's tree frog. Scientists believe that the frog is most prevalent at medium elevations of about 1000 m. Other species of ''Leptopelis'' bury their eggs in mud nests near water, so scientists suspect Anchieta's tree frog may do so as well.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anchieta's tree frog
anchietae
Endemic fauna of Angola
Amphibians of Angola
Amphibians described in 1873
Taxa named by José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot