Hoplophryne rogersi

Hoplophryne rogersi, also known as the Tanzania banana frog, Usambara banana frog, Usambara blue-bellied frog, and Roger's three-fingered frog, is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to north-eastern Tanzania and known from the Usambara, Magrotto, and Nguru Mountains of Tanga Region.[1][3] The specific name rogersi honours F. W. Rogers, the custodian of the Amani Research Institute at the time of the describers' visit to Usambara.[2][4]

Hoplophryne rogersi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Microhylidae
Genus: Hoplophryne
Species:
H. rogersi
Binomial name
Hoplophryne rogersi

Description

Males grow to 26 mm (1.0 in) and females to 32 mm (1.3 in) in snout–vent length. The body is stout. Males have only three fingers as the thumb is reduced to a stump with a sharp, protruding bone. No webbing is present. The dorsum is smooth with small spines; there are larger spines on the throat, lips, chest, and limbs. The dorsum is slate-blue to grey-brown. A darker stripe runs from the snout to along the side of the body to the knee. The leggs have dark crossbars. The underside is black with blue or white vermiculations.[5]

Habitat and conservation

Hoplophryne rogersi occurs in lowland and montane forest at elevations of 180–1,200 m (590–3,940 ft) above sea level, perhaps higher.[1] It is active in leaf litter by day.[5] It can be found in moderately disturbed habitats, but not in heavily disturbed forest or in open areas. Although generally rare and difficult to find outside the breeding season, it is easily found in the Amani Botanic Garden where it uses the extensive stands of exotic bamboo for breeding.[1] The eggs are laid in phytotelmata: hollow bamboo stems, leaf axils, and tree holes. The larvae develop in these same microhabitats.[1]

Hoplophryne rogersi is likely negatively affected by ongoing forest loss and degradation. It occurs in several, relatively well-protected areas.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Hoplophryne rogersi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T57822A17170304. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T57822A17170304.en. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  2. Barbour, T. & Loveridge, A. (1928). "A comparative study of the herpetological faunae of the Uluguru and Usambara Mountains, Tanganyika Territory with descriptions of new species". Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 50: 87–265. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.49344. (Hoplophryne rogersi: pp. 258–259)
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2022). "Hoplophryne rogersi Barbour and Loveridge, 1928". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-907807-42-8.
  5. Channing, Allan & Rödel, Mark-Oliver (2019). Field Guide to the Frogs & other Amphibians of Africa. Cape Town: Struik Nature. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-77584-512-6.
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