''Phrynobatrachus guineensis'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

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 in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

, southern Guinea, Liberia, and western Ivory Coast. Common name Guinea river frog has been coined for it, although it is actually associated with drier parts of primary rainforest.

Taxonomy

''Phrynobatrachus guineensis'' was described in 1962. Prior to its description in 2002, ''

Phrynobatrachus phyllophilus ''Phrynobatrachus phyllophilus'' is a species of frogs in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Sierra Leone, southern Guinea, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. Prior to its description in 2002, it was confused with ''Phrynobatrachus guineensis'' ...

'' was confused with species; the original species description mixed characteristics of both species. However, the two species can be distinguished morphologically and based on the male advertisement calls. In addition, they mostly occur in different habitats, despite having similar overall distribution: ''Phrynobatrachus guineensis'' is nearly always found in drier parts of the forest, whereas ''Phrynobatrachus phyllophilus'' clearly prefer swampy habitats.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. Many specimens have a vertebral line. The hips are yellow and the toe and finger tips are orange. The belly shows large black spots. Reproductive males have extremely swollen thumbs.

Habitat and conservation

''Phrynobatrachus guineensis'' occur in the drier parts of primary rainforest at elevations up to above sea level. They live arboreally, usually low in the trees. Breeding takes place in tree holes, but also in tiny waterbodies such as empty nuts and snail shells. The eggs are attached to the bark of the tree or similar position above the water. After hatching, the

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 ...

s drop into the water where they complete their development. ''Phrynobatrachus guineensis'' is a common species in suitable habitats. It is negatively impacted 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 ...

caused by agricultural development, logging, and expanding human settlements. It might also be locally threatened by mining activities. It occurs in

Taï National Park Taï National Park () is a national park in Côte d'Ivoire that contains one of the last areas of primary rainforest in West Africa. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its flora and fauna. Five mammal sp ...

and Mount Nimba World Heritage Site.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2244001 guineensis Frogs of Africa Amphibians of West Africa Taxa named by Jean Marius René Guibé Amphibians described in 1962 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot