''Phrynobatrachus cricogaster'' is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in the mountains of western Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria. Common name Nkongsamba river frog has been coined for it. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''cricogaster'' is derived from the Greek ''krikos'' for "ring" and ''gaster'' for "belly", in reference to the prominent ring pattern on its venter.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The body is moderately slim. The snout is blunt. The tympanum is distinct. The fingers are blunt, hardly dilated, and have no webbing. The toes are slightly but clearly dilated in discs and are three-quarters webbed. The dorsum is brown-black and uniform or with some large brown-red scapular spots. The hind limbs have brown red bars. The venter is cream. Throat is grey and has a cream-coloured median spot near the chest. The belly bears a small central dark circle, possibly with a white center, which is and surrounded by a complete or incomplete circle touching the chest and groin. Males have a sub gular vocal sac, and the gular area may be very dark. Phrynobatrachus cricogaster04

Habitat and conservation

''Phrynobatrachus cricogaster'' occurs in submontane and montane primary and secondary forest, degraded forest, and dense brush 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 ...

. Breeding takes place in still pools along mountain streams. It can be locally abundant (i.e., on Mount Manengouba), but the overall population is likely to have been decreasing. It is threatened by agricultural expansion, logging, and human settlements, particularly when these activities cause its habitat to be markedly opened up. It is found in the Cross River National Park in Nigeria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2244015 cricogaster Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Cameroon Amphibians of West Africa Fauna of Nigeria Amphibians described in 1957 Taxa named by Jean-Luc Perret Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fauna of the Cameroonian Highlands forests