''Phrynobatrachus africanus'' (common name: African swamp 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

Phrynobatrachidae ''Phrynobatrachus'' is a genus of Sub-Saharan frogs that form the monogeneric family Phrynobatrachidae. Their common name is puddle frogs, dwarf puddle frogs, African puddle frogs, or African river frogs. The common name, puddle frog, refers to ...

. It is found in

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 ...

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...

(including

Bioko Bioko (; historically Fernando Po; bvb, Ëtulá Ëria) is an island off the west coast of Africa and the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea. Its population was 335,048 at the 2015 census and it covers an area of . The island is located of ...

), southwestern

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

, western

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

, and north-central

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. Its range might extend into

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, however, considers the limits of its range unknown and does not include the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the range.

Description

Adults grow to about in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is moderately slender. The tympanum is distinct. The finger and toe tips bear small discs. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes are moderately webbed. The dorsum is brown or greyish. There is dark brown blotching which becomes apparent under magnification. A dark triangular spot may be present between the eyes. Glandular folds have slightly darker edges. There are several chocolate colored spots or vertical bars on the upper jaws; males have brown lower lips with a series of small white spots. The hind limbs have bark brown (approaching a black) barring. The anal region is blackish, edged with whitish above. The ventral side is white, with brown spotting in the breast. Throat is dark grey in males but spotted with brown in females.

Habitat and conservation

''Phrynobatrachus africanus'' occurs in lowland swampy forests. It can survive in somewhat degraded forests, but not in open habitats outside forest. Males

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from cavities and holes near streams. Breeding takes place in pools with standing water along streams. It is a very common species. It can be negatively affected by loss of its forest habitat caused by logging, agricultural encroachment, and human settlements. It occurs in several protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1310289

africanus Africanus is Latin for "African". It may refer to: People Ancient Roman cognomen * Africanus Fabius Maximus, the younger son of Quintus Fabius Maximus (consul 45 BC) and an unknown wife * Cresconius Africanus, a Latin canon lawyer of uncertain dat ...

Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Cameroon Amphibians of the Central African Republic Amphibians of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Amphibians of Equatorial Guinea Amphibians of Gabon Amphibians of the Republic of the Congo Amphibians described in 1858 Taxa named by Edward Hallowell (herpetologist)