''Ptychadena tournieri'' is a species of frog in the family

Ptychadenidae Ptychadenidae is a family of frogs commonly known as the grassland frogs. These frogs occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ptychadenidae was previously considered to be a tribe or subfamily in the family Ranidae, but its position as a separate famil ...

. It is a widespread species in West Africa and found in Senegal,

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

, Guinea-Bissau,

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

, Sierra Leone,

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, and

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, as well as in Togo and Benin; it is assumed to occur in Ghana and southeastern Burkina Faso, although it has not been recorded there. On the other hand, some records may refer to other species; the

Amphibian Species of the World ''Amphibian Species of the World 6.1: An Online Reference'' (ASW) is a herpetology database. It lists the names of frogs, salamanders and other amphibians, which scientists first described each species and what year, and the animal's known range. ...

excludes Gambia and Togo from the distribution. Common names Liberia grassland frog and Tournier's rocket frog are sometimes used.

Etymology

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 ...

''tournieri'' refers to Jean-Luc Tournier, who was director of the ''Institut Français d’Afrique Noire'' in Abidjan (now

Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire IFAN (I.F.A.N., Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire or Fundamental Institute of Black Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, ...

Description

Adult males measure and females in snout–vent length. The webbing in feet leaves one phalanx of toe V free (two in ''P. pujoli''). The head is slightly longer than wide and with a pointed snout. The tympanum is almost as large as the eye. The dorsum has two pairs of dorsal ridges, with granulated skin in between, and a pair of dorsolateral ridges. Fine ridges are present also on the thighs and shanks. The upper lip is white. There are dark canthal lines that run from beyond the tympanum to the flanks, becoming somewhat thinner posteriorly. The dorsal ridges are white to light red whereas the dorsolateral ridges are white.

Habitat and conservation

''Ptychadena tournieri'' inhabits humid savanna areas, and can also survive altered habitats such as rice paddies. Reproduction takes place in small, stagnant and shallow temporary waters as well as in flooded fields and pans. This adaptable species is not considered to face significant threats.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2247954 tournieri Amphibians of West Africa Taxa named by Jean Marius René Guibé Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1955