''Poyntonia'', is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

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 ...

genus in the family

Pyxicephalidae The Pyxicephalidae are a family of frogs currently found in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in the Eocene, the taxon '' Thaumastosaurus'' lived in Europe. Classification The Pyxicephalidae contain two subfamilies, with a total of 12 genera. This f ...

. It was named after J.C. Poynton, a notable herpetologist who worked in southern Africa. ''Poyntonia paludicola,'' commonly known as the Montane Marsh frog, is the sole member of the genus. 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 ...

to the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Populations have been recorded in the

Kogelberg The Kogelberg is a range of mountains along the False Bay coast in the Western Cape of South Africa. They form part of the Cape Fold Belt, starting south of the Elgin valley and forming a steep coastal range as far as Kleinmond. The Kogelberg a ...

Hottentots-Holland The Hottentots Holland Mountains are part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape, South Africa. The mountain range forms a barrier between the Cape Town metropolitan area and the southern Overberg coast. The range is primarily composed of Ta ...

, and

Klein River Klein River is a river in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The river mouth is located at Hermanus. Its tributaries include the Karringmelk River. It falls within the Drainage system G. See also

* List of rivers of South Africa ...

mountains at the elevations of

asl American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

. Despite occurring as relatively fragmented populations across its range, it is locally abundant in suitable habitat and is presumably philopatric. It is possible that the separate populations represent

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

, but this has to be investigated. Poyntonia aggresssion

Description

''P. paludicola'' resemble bufonids due to their stout form and warty appearance. Adults attain a length of 27 - 30mm, with females being larger than males. The tympanum is not visible. Fingers have slight webbing. Toes are long without discs. Warts cover most of the body. A raised mass of warty skin is present behind each eye. Individuals often have a red-orange vertebral stripe. A long white teardrop-like mark extends from the bottom of the eye towards the top of the arm, in most individuals. The belly is pale, often with dark blotches unevenly distributed. The advertisement call consists of 1-6 brief, low-pitched chirps at a rate of about 3 per second. It is a unique, coarse "kruck-kruck-kruck". Eggs are relatively large compared to the size of the adults. One clutch laid in September 2020 contained 15 eggs which were deposited at the edge of a seepage pool in 2 cm of muddy water. Regarding morphology and relative size of eggs and larva, ''Poyntonia'' shares many similarities with ''Capensibufo'', a genus of small montane toads utilizing similar habitat and occurring in sympatry.

Habitat

''P. paludicola'' inhabits montane

fynbos Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean clim ...

( Mediterranean-type

shrubby vegetation A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

) in areas with high rainfall (2,000-3,000 mm per year) from sea level to 1800 msl. These frogs breed in shallow puddles associated with seepage areas. Often there is some level of waterflow within the seepage. Threats to the species habitat include the encroachment of alien vegetation, water abstraction, and the disturbance of natural fire regimes. Most populations occur within protected areas, such as the Kogelberg Biosphere Nature Reserve,

Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve The Hottentots Holland Mountains are part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape, South Africa. The mountain range forms a barrier between the Cape Town metropolitan area and the southern Overberg coast. The range is primarily composed of Ta ...

, and Fernkloof Nature Reserve. Poyntonia paludicola

Life history

The majority of breeding is assumed to take place within the winter months, from June–September, although males will call at anytime of the year if weather conditions are appropriate. This species is diurnal, and individuals of all life stages can be found during the day, often in exposed positions within seepages. Males will start calling at sunrise and continue into the evening. Egg clutches have been found in very shallow pools under a thin layer of mud. Larvae are

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

, and will hide within the mud when disturbed. Breeding does not seem to be greatly affected by fire, as calls have been heard after the first good rains following a fire. Additionally, this species can tolerate some level of anthropogenic disturbance. Individuals have been found in eroded areas or drainage ditches on the side of jeep tracks which cut through their seepage areas. Breeding related aggression between males has been recorded, similar to combat observed in African Bullfrogs.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q388817 Pyxicephalidae Monotypic amphibian genera Endemic amphibians of South Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot