The shovelnose frogs are the
species of
frogs in the
genus, ''Hemisus'', the
only genus in the
family Hemisotidae. They are found in tropical and subtropical
sub-Saharan 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, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
. The shovelnose frogs are moderate-sized frogs, reaching a length of . They are round-bodied, with short legs. Their heads are small and narrow, with hard, upturned noses.
The shovelnose frogs are
burrowing frogs, living most of their lives underground. The female digs underground while in
amplexus, and lays her
eggs in an underground cavity. The male leaves through the tunnel, and the female remains with the eggs. Once sufficient rain has fallen, the female burrows with her nose towards a water source, where the
tadpoles will remain until
metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...
.
[ The tadpoles may remain out of water up to a few days.
Unlike most burrowing frogs, the shovelnose frogs burrow head-first, as opposed to rear-first, hence their other common names - snout-burrowers. Some species are kept as pets.
]
Species
Family HEMISOTIDAE
* Genus ''Hemisus''
** ''H. barotseensis'' - Mongu shovelnose frog
''Hemisus barotseensis'' is a species of frogs in the family Hemisotidae. It is endemic to western Zambia and known with certainty only from the Barotse Floodplain, along the Zambezi River. The record from the Kafue Flats is uncertain.
Descripti ...
(Channing & Broadley, 2002)
** ''H. brachydactylus'' - Masiliwa snout-burrower or Masiliwa shovelnose frog (Laurent
Laurent may refer to:
*Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname
**Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent
**Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician
**Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discoverer ...
, 1963)
** ''H. guineensis'' - Guinea snout-burrower
The Guinea snout-burrower (''Hemisus guineensis''), or Guinea shovelnose frog, is a species of frog in the family Hemisotidae found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist ...
or Guinea shovelnose frog ( Cope, 1865)
** ''H. guttatus'' - spotted snout-burrower
The spotted snout-burrower (''Hemisus guttatus''), or spotted shovelnose frog, is a species of frog in the family Hemisotidae, found in South Africa and possibly Eswatini.
Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, temperate shrubland ...
or spotted shovelnose frog (Rapp, 1842)
** ''H. marmoratus'' - marbled snout-burrower
The marbled snout-burrower (''Hemisus marmoratus'') is a species of frog in the family Hemisotidae.
It is found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, dry ...
, mottled shovelnose frog, or marbled shovelnose frog (Steindachner
Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...
, 1863)
** ''H. microscaphus'' - Ethiopian snout-burrower
The Ethiopian snout-burrower (''Hemisus microscaphus''), also known as the Lake Zwai snout-burrower or Lake Zwai shovelnose frog, is a species of frog in the family Hemisotidae, endemic to Ethiopia.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropic ...
, Lake Zwai snout-burrower or Lake Zwai shovelnose frog (Laurent, 1972)
** ''H. olivaceus'' - olive snout-burrower
The olive snout-burrower (''Hemisus olivaceus''), or olive shovelnose frog, is a species of frog in the family Hemisotidae, found in Democratic Republic of the Congo and possibly Uganda.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowl ...
or olive shovelnose frog (Laurent, 1963)
** ''H. perreti'' - Perret's shovelnose frog (Laurent, 1972)
** ''H. wittei'' - De Witte's snout-burrower
De Witte's snout-burrower (''Hemisus wittei'') is a species of frog in the family Hemisotidae found in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Its natural habitats are moist savanna, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland ...
or Witte's shovelnose frog (Laurent, 1963)
References
*
Amphibian Species of the World: ''Hemisus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q55472
Afrobatrachia
Taxa named by Albert Günther
Amphibians of Sub-Saharan Africa