''Phrynobatrachus keniensis'' 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 widely in the highlands of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

( Cherang'any Hills in the northwest, Nyambene Hills in the northeast, and from several locations in the Central Highlands, for example from

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is locat ...

and the

Aberdare Range The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range, Kikuyu: ''Nyandarua'') is a 160 km (100 mile) long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It straddles across the counties of Nyandarua, Nye ...

). It is also recorded from

Mount Meru Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु), also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru, is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritu ...

in northern

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

, but this might represent a different species. Common names Kenya River frog and upland puddle frog have been coined for it.

Description

''Phrynobatrachus keniensis'' are small frogs; males reach a snout–vent length of no more than and females no more than . The overall appearance is stout. The head is as long as it is broad. The snout is rounded or very obtusely pointed. There is a characteristic skin fold at the anterior end of the upper eyelid. The tympanum is hidden. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes have moderate webbing. The finger and toe tips are not dilated. Skin is smooth but there are some indications of flattened warts on the dorsum and there are some small warts around the vent. The dorsum is purplish to purplish-brown and has a clear brown patch in the interorbital region. Many individuals have a vertebral line. The venter is white but spotted with purplish brown, in particular in a broad band across the breast, on the flanks, and on the

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

e. A dark lateral band on both sides of the head and on the flanks is often present.

Habitat and conservation

''Phrynobatrachus keniensis'' inhabit montane grasslands and montane rainforests at elevations below . They often occur in association with their breeding habitat, at the edge of water bodies such as swamps and streams. It is an adaptable species that appears not to face any major threats. It can locally be impacted by

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

by livestock and

smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

agriculture. It is found in the

and

Aberdare National Park The Aberdare National Park is a protected area in the Aberdare Mountain Range in central Kenya located east of the East African Rift Valley. It covers the higher areas and the Aberdare Salient to the east. Overview The park is located about 10 ...

s and in the

Mau Forest Mau Forest is a forest complex in the Rift Valley of Kenya. It is the largest indigenous montane forest in East Africa. The Mau Forest complex has an area of . The forest area has some of the highest rainfall rates in Kenya. Mau Forest is the la ...

Reserve.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2243561 Endemic fauna of Kenya keniensis Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Kenya Amphibians of Tanzania Taxa named by Thomas Barbour Taxa named by Arthur Loveridge Amphibians described in 1928 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot