Ericabatrachus

Ericabatrachus is a genus of frogs in the family Petropedetidae endemic to the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Ericabatrachus baleensis, commonly known as the Bale Mountains frog, .[3]

Ericabatrachus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Petropedetidae
Genus: Ericabatrachus
Largen, 1991
Species:
E. baleensis
Binomial name
Ericabatrachus baleensis
Largen, 1991[2]

Taxonomy

Ericabatrachus baleensis is monotypic within its genus. The phylogenetic relationships of this poorly known species have been debated, but molecular analyses place it the family Petropedetidae,[4][5] instead of Phrynobatrachidae or Pyxicephalidae, where it has also been placed. Its sister taxon is Petropedetes.[5]

Description

Bale Mountains frogs are small; adult males measure 19–22 mm (0.75–0.87 in) in snout–vent length and females 23–27 mm (0.91–1.06 in). Their fingers are not webbed and toes have rudimentary webbing. Adult males have well-defined femoral glands.[2]

Habitat and conservation

Its natural habitats are grassy banks of small, fast-flowing streams in giant heath woodland and adjoining Schefflera-Hagenia forest. It is critically endangered because its range is extremely small and the habitat is under threat from trampling of streams, deforestation, and settlement development, despite being located in the Bale Mountains National Park.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Ericabatrachus baleensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T58075A16953634. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T58075A16953634.en.
  2. Largen, M. J. (1991). "A new genus and species of petropedetine frog (Amphibia Anura Ranidae) from high altitude in the mountains of Ethiopia". Tropical Zoology. 4: 139–152. doi:10.1080/03946975.1991.10539483.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Ericabatrachus baleensis Largen, 1991". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  4. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Ericabatrachus Largen, 1991". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  5. Siu-Ting, K.; Gower, D. J.; Pisani, D.; Kassahun, R.; Gebresenbet, F.; Menegon, M.; Mengistu, A. A.; Saber, S. A.; De Sá, R.; Wilkinson, M.; Loader, S. P. (2014). "Evolutionary relationships of the Critically Endangered frog Ericabatrachus baleensis Largen, 1991 with notes on incorporating previously unsampled taxa into large-scale phylogenetic analyses". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 14 (1): 44. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-14-44. PMC 4008257. PMID 24612655.
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