Forest rain frog
| Forest rain frog | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Brevicipitidae |
| Genus: | Breviceps |
| Species: | B. sylvestris |
| Binomial name | |
| Breviceps sylvestris FitzSimons, 1930 | |
The forest rain frog (Breviceps sylvestris) is a species of frog in the Brevicipitidae family. It is endemic to Limpopo, South Africa. Two allopatric subspecies are recognized: the nominate one, Breviceps sylvestris sylvestris, and Breviceps sylvestris taeniatus Poynton, 1963 from near Soutpansberg.[2] Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate grassland, and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss.[1]
Forest rain frogs can range in colour from red, orange, yellow, green, and purple. They can also vary in size from a mere 2 cm and grow to be about 10 cm in body length. The purple frogs are known to contain a defense mechanism consisting of a toxic chemical on their slimy exterior. If contact is made with this toxin the temporary effect of paralysis can occur.
References
- 1 2 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group; South African Frog Re-assessment Group (SA-FRoG) (2010). "Breviceps sylvestris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Breviceps sylvestris FitzSimons, 1930". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 19 October 2014.