''Petropedetes perreti'' 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

Petropedetidae The Petropedetidae are a family of frogs containing three genera and 12 species. They are found in sub-Saharan tropical Africa and are sometimes known under common name African torrent frogs. They are inhabitants of the splash-water zone of cle ...

. 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 ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. It is known from the southern slopes of the Bamiléké Plateau,

Mount Manengouba Mount Muanenguba (also spelled Manenguba or Mwanenguba) is a volcano in the Southwest Province of Cameroon. The Manenguba shrew and endemic vegetal species are native to the mountain. The area is featured in the documentary ''The Mists of Mwaneng ...

, and

Mount Nlonako The Mont Nlonako Wildlife Reserve is a wildlife reserve and a proposed protected area ( WDPA ID: 308631) in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. This nature reserve covers an area of approximately , on the south-east side of the city of Nkongsamba ...

. Common name Perret's water frog has been coined for it.

Etymology

The specific name ''perreti'' honours , a Swiss herpetologist who has specialized in African amphibians.

Description

Males measure and females in snout–vent length; it is a medium-sized member of its genus. The body is slender. The tympanum is distinct and nearly as large as the eye in males but distinctly smaller in females. The

canthus rostralis In snakes and amphibians, the canthus, canthal ridge or ''canthus rostralis'',Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . is the angle between the flat crown of the head and the ...

is distinct but slightly rounded. The dorsum is brownish or greenish marbled with black parts, or more or less uniformly dark, and speckled with white minuscule spots. The hands are unwebbed whereas the feet are fully webbed.

Habitat and conservation

''Petropedetes perreti'' is a forest species that occurs along mountain streams 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 ...

, or even higher. Adults have been found adhering with their bellies and limbs to stones in strong currents, sitting on stones amidst the river or some meters away from water, and on leaves of plants on the river sides. The egg clutches are deposited on rocks within the splash zone of rapids and waterfalls. The male appears to defend its clutch. The

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 ...

s can feed in the splash zone and only move to the water when disturbed. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

caused by agriculture, logging, and human settlements.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2243892 perreti Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Cameroon Endemic fauna of Cameroon Amphibians described in 1973 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fauna of the Cameroonian Highlands forests