The royal ghost frog (''Heleophryne regis''), also known as the southern ghost frog or Cape ghost 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 Heleophrynidae. 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 ...

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 ...

, and lives in fast-moving streams.

Description

Ghost frogs get their name as one of the six species found in

Skeleton Gorge A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

(on

Table Mountain Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...

), South Africa. The underside of the body, including the jaw, has small hooks, which help the frogs climb over wet rocks near their habitats. The frogs measure in length. It is in the same size range as

Hewitt's ghost frog The Hewitt's ghost frog (''Heleophryne hewitti'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Its natural habitat is fynbos heathland and grassy fynbos. Adults are difficult to see but ...

, but is smaller than

Purcell's ghost frog The Purcell's ghost frog (''Heleophryne purcelli'') is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is endemic to Western Cape Province, South Africa. Its natural habitat is fynbos heathland. Breeding takes place in perennial streams. Their ...

. The top side of its body is brown with yellow spots, and the underside is white. The limbs are plain-colored, and flesh-colored underneath. Their

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

s take up to two years to develop fully. The call of the royal ghost frog is a harsh, creaking sound, given at around one call per second.

Habitat

All species of

ghost frog Heleophrynidae is a family of frogs, commonly known as ghost frogs. They are thought to be the most basal group in the Neobatrachia. The family consists of two genera, ''Heleophryne'' and ''Hadromophryne'', with seven species. Ghost frogs live i ...

s are

to the southern tip of Africa. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

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 ...

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

in the Western and Eastern provinces of South Africa, and specifically cool mountain

streams A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

at an altitude of 230–790 meters. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, as it requires clean, fast-moving water in which to live. However, the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

classes the species as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

; although it lives in an area of less than , the habitat is not currently threatened, and the species is presumed to have a large population. Threats to its habitat include

siltation Siltation, is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or ...

of the freshwater streams.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1628777 Heleophryne Frogs of Africa Endemic amphibians of South Africa Taxa named by John Hewitt (herpetologist) Amphibians described in 1910 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot