Black Rain Frog
Breviceps fuscusSummary 1
The Black Rain Frog (Breviceps fuscus) is a species of frog in the Brevicipitidae family. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Description 2
Breviceps fuscus is a relatively small frog at about 40 - 51mm snout-vent length. Like most species of the genus, B. fuscus is a round frog with short limbs and toes, and a flattened, spade-like inner metatarsal that lacks a cutting edge (Hewett 1925; Channing 2001). The fourth finger is about 3mm long, and the free portion of the second finger about 3.5mm long. The second toe is considerably longer than the first toe, but only slightly longer than the fifth toe (no measurements given; Hewett 1925). The skin lacks warts, but has pronounced widely spaced granules or small tubercles and pitting (more so than in Breviceps gibbosus), particularly on the dorsal surface and around the face, which conceals the tympanum (Hewett 1925; Channing 2001).
Breviceps fuscus is typically dark brown or nearly black with a slightly lighter ventral surface and no pigmented patterns (Hewett 1925; Channing 2001).
The species authority is Hewett, J. (1925). "Descriptions of three new toads belonging to the genus Breviceps Merrem." Annals of the Natal Museum, 2, 189-194.
The species epithet "fuscus" refers to the frog’s dark coloration (Channing 2001).
Sources and Credits
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breviceps_fuscus
- (c) AmphibiaWeb © 2000-2015 The Regents of the University of California, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/34267017
