Breviceps fichus is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to the central highlands of Tanzania.[1][2][3] Common name highland rain frog has been proposed for it.[2][3]

Breviceps fichus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Brevicipitidae
Genus: Breviceps
Species:
B. fichus
Binomial name
Breviceps fichus
Channing [fr] and Minter, 2004

Description

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Males grow to 35 mm (1.4 in) and females to 43 mm (1.7 in) in snout–vent length. The snout is bluntly rounded. The tympanum is not visible. Skin is pitted dorsally and smooth ventrally. The dorsum is brown with darker mottling. Dark bands run from the eyes to the arms. The lower parts are white. Throat is black in breeding males.[3]

The male advertisement call is a brief, low-pitched, pulsed whistle.[3]

Habitat and conservation

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Breviceps fichus occurs in high-altitude grasslands at elevations above 1,500 m (4,900 ft). Males call during the day from shallow burrows at the base of dense grass. Development is, presumably, direct[1] (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage[4]). Threats to this species are not known.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Breviceps fichus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T61845A18373277. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T61845A18373277.en. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Breviceps fichus Channing and Minter, 2004". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Channing, Allan & Rödel, Mark-Oliver (2019). Field Guide to the Frogs & other Amphibians of Africa. Cape Town: Struik Nature. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-77584-512-6.
  4. ^ Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.