Description
provided by AmphibiaWeb articles
Adult females have a snout vent length ~60 mm while males are ~50 mm in length. They are characterized by a squat, compressed body allowing for concealment in small crevices. Highly webbed hind limbs make Heleophryne rosei a strong swimmer but a poor jumper. Toes are spatulate providing for a firm grip on rocky substrates. An enlarged metacarpal tubercle is also present, resembling a vestigial thumb. Adults have mottled pigmentation consisting of reddish-brown patches on a green background. Their pupils are vertically elliptical. Males secondarily develop nuptial pads and dorsal skin folds. Both sexes develop asperities (spiny structures allowing for better contact during amplexus). Tadpoles can be identified by brown stipple on fins and body. They possess a suctorial mouth, similar to that of Ascaphus, which is used for algal feeding and securing a grip on rocky substrates in swift-moving streams.
- Baard, E. H. W. (1989). ''The status of some rare and endangered endemic reptiles and amphibians of the southwestern Cape Province, South Africa.'' Biological Conservation, 49, 161-168.
- Boycott, R.C. (1988). ''Heleophryne rosei Hewitt: Species account.'' South African Red Data Book – Reptiles and Amphibians. W.R. Branch, eds., South African National Scientific Programmes: Report No. 151, Port Elizabeth, 36-37.
- Boycott, R.C. and de Villiers, A.L. (1986). ''The status of Heleophryne rosei Hewitt (Anura:Leptodactylidae) on Table Mountain and recommendations for its conservation.'' South African Journal of Wildlife Research, 16(4), 129-34.
- Channing, A., Boycott, R., and van Hensbergen, H.J. (1988). ''Morphological variation of Heleophryne tadpoles from the Cape Province, South Africa (Anura: Heleophrynidae).'' Journal of Zoology, London, 215, 205-216.
- author
- Christopher Streeter
Distribution and Habitat
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Heleophryne rosei is confined to a very small area of approximately 7-8 km2 on the eastern and southern slopes of Table Mountain, Cape Province, South Africa. Tadpoles have been recorded at Window Gorge, Skeleton Gorge, Nursery Ravine, Cecilia Ravine, the Original Disa Stream, Disa Gorge, and Disa Stream. The species is endemic to this region. Individuals have been recorded only in wet and mesic mountain fynbos – areas of high rainfall (300-600 mm per year). Within their broader range, H. rosei is concentrated in wooded ravines and valleys in clear, swift-flowing, perennial streams. The year-round water supply is necessary to facilitate the approximately year-long development of tadpoles. Typical microhabitat consists of steep, algae-covered rocks in areas of fast-moving, cascading water. Adults have been recorded traveling away from streams over open land.
- author
- Christopher Streeter
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
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Heleophryne rosei is a rare species known from few adults and only a slightly larger number of tadpoles. Egg masses have never been found. Reproductive activity has been inferred based on examination of gravid females. Breeding occurs in the spring and summer months during the period of low stream flow. This likely ensures that eggs will not be laid in streams that will later dry up. During the mating season, the male’s asperities reach peak emergence.Tadpoles of the species develop slowly over a period of ~12 months in cold water. They are torrent adapted, using their suctorial mouths to gain purchase on the rocky surfaces of the streambed. Tadpoles feed on algae covering these rocks. After metamorphosis, individuals leave the streams before the onset of winter rains. Adult behavior has not been well-studied. It is known, however, that adults do stray from streams, traveling across land.
- author
- Christopher Streeter
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
provided by AmphibiaWeb articles
The narrow range of H. rosei makes it an extremely vulnerable species. Although its distribution currently exists within the confines of protected lands (the National Botanic Gardens and Department of Forestry), many factors still threaten the species’ persistence. Plantations of exotic Pinus, Eucalyptus, and Populus have clogged the streams that serve as H. rosei’s primary habitat, creating stagnant waterways not conducive to the frog’s life cycle. Along certain such stretches, H. rosei has gone locally extinct. Poor forestry practices may also lead to the clogging of these waterways. At the beginning of the 20th century, dams were constructed along many waterways on Table Mountain, including those that function as H. rosei habitat. Reduced water flow from these dams may lead to a decline in this torrent-adapted species. It is imperative that policy continue to mandate that the dams permit a continuous flow downstream of a quantity sufficient to preserve H. rosei sites. Global climate change may also threaten the existence of H. rosei as the number of dry years not supporting sufficient perennial streams increases. Preservation of H. rosei will be aided by continued efforts to maintain swift-flowing perennial streams in the Table Mountain region. It has also been suggested that translocation of individuals may be of great importance as many suitable sites are currently uninhabited by H. rosei.
- author
- Christopher Streeter
Rose's ghost frog
provided by wikipedia EN
Rose's ghost frog (Heleophryne rosei), or Table Mountain ghost frog, is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae endemic to South Africa.[2] It is a medium-sized species with purple or brown blotches on a pale green background and large discs on its fingers and toes. It has a very restricted range, being only known from the slopes of parts of Table Mountain. The tadpoles live in permanent streams but these are in danger of drying up because of the establishment of pine plantations. Because of its small range and changes in its habitat, this frog is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Description
This is a moderately sized frog, with the larger female up to 60 mm (2.4 in) and the smaller male up to 50 mm (2.0 in) in length. The colouration of adults is striking, often a pale green background with purple to brown blotches. The fingers and toes have large, triangular terminal discs. A rudimentary thumb is present as a distinct inner metacarpal tubercle. The feet are half webbed, with one phalanx of the fifth toe free of web. The tadpole has neither an upper nor lower jaw sheath, but up to 17 rows of posterior labial teeth. The tadpole also has a large oral disc and is able to climb up wet vertical rock faces.[3]
Distribution
This species is known only from the southern, eastern, and marginally western slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town.[3]
Habitat
The typical habitat of this frog includes moist, forested gorges, with vertical rock faces to more exposed streams surrounded by dense marginal vegetation, the latter habitat usually found at higher altitudes. Tadpoles require year-round supply of water whereas adults can stray away from streams, even to be found in caves.[3]
Behaviour
The frogs are found on rock ledges or up in vegetation at night, retreating under large rocks and in cracks of rocks during the day.
Diet
These frogs eat a range of small insects and other forest arthropods.
Reproduction
Breeding starts in November when the streams are low but the temperature is high. The male's secondary sexual characteristics include a number of small black spines on the outside surfaces of the forearms, on the back, and on the top of the back legs. The eggs have not been found, but in other species they are deposited under rocks in streams. The tadpoles develop for about 12 months.[3]
Conservation status
This species is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)[1] and in the South African Red Data Book.[4] The population is small, geographically restricted, and threatened by the plantations of pines on the mountain that cause the streams to dry up.[1][3] Many of the streams historically populated by Heleophryne rosei were diverted during the 1900s in order to supply the newly built reservoirs on Table Mountain. Due to the ancient, Mesozoic origin of the family Heleophrynidae and their evolutionary significance, H. rosei is listed as #11 on the list of the top amphibian EDGE species.[5]
References
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Rose's ghost frog: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Rose's ghost frog (Heleophryne rosei), or Table Mountain ghost frog, is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae endemic to South Africa. It is a medium-sized species with purple or brown blotches on a pale green background and large discs on its fingers and toes. It has a very restricted range, being only known from the slopes of parts of Table Mountain. The tadpoles live in permanent streams but these are in danger of drying up because of the establishment of pine plantations. Because of its small range and changes in its habitat, this frog is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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