King ghost frog
| King ghost frog | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Heleophryne regis | ||||||||||||
| Hewitt , 1910 |
The king ghost frog ( Heleophryne regis ) is a species of frog from the ghost frog family . It occurs in the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape in South Africa.
features
The king ghost frog reaches a size of 35 to 45 mm. The top is brownish with yellowish spots. A dark horizontal stripe runs through the eye. The belly is characterized by a white, granular skin. The upper side of the limbs is undrawn or slightly drawn, the underside is flesh-colored. The call is a harsh, creaky sound that is repeated every second.
Occurrence
The species inhabits the coastal mountain ranges of the western and eastern Cape Provinces. The distribution area extends from the rivers Huis and Pederberg in the Outeniqua Mountains in the west, eastward along the Tsitsikamma- and Kareedouw mountain ranges to the Krom River Forest Reserve in the east.
Habitat and way of life
The preferred habitat are fynbos heath lands and forests at altitudes of 230 to 790 m. The king ghost frog spawns in fast-flowing mountain streams. The tadpoles take two years to develop.
Danger
The king ghost frog is classified by the IUCN as not endangered (least concern). Information on its population is not available, but the population is described as stable and locally frequent. Most of its habitat is protected, but there is occasional afforestation. Other hazards come from the silting up of the streams and possibly too frequent fires.
literature
- Vincent Carruthers: Frogs and frogging in Southern Africa . Struik, 2001, p. 55, ISBN 9781868726073