Breviceps poweri, Parker 1934 - or, Surmountable is Relative

Welcome back!

It's been a while, I know... but hopefully that should pay off, because you get to miss me whining about winter AND I got to take a whole bunch more photographs. Some of them are even quite good...

Anyway, here's an old favourite of mine:

Photographed in Chongwe, Lusaka, Zambia in November 2011, using and Olympus E-420 with Zuiko 40-150mm lens and 1 KOOD magnifier.

This rather rather homely creature, commonly known as Power's Rain Frog, is one of a number of small and slow-moving Rain Frogs found only in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are afforded some level of protection by traditional beliefs; where many frogs and reptiles in the region are persecuted due to perceived associations with bad luck and the devil, these little creatures emerge from deep under the soil within a few days of the first rains. This has earned them names such as inkosazana, or princess, and in some areas there are traditions dealing with how to appease a frog disturbed during farming activities.

Anyhow, to get on with it, at length, this is:

Breviceps poweri

(Parker, 1934)

 

- Brevicepinae

- Microhylidae  

- Brevicipitiforms

- Ranoidea             

See also Rana temporaria and Chiromantis xerampelina.

- Neobatrachia          

- Acosmanura              

- Pipanura                      

- Bombinanura                  

- Anura                                 

- Salienta                                 

- Batrachia                                 

- Lissamphibia                              

- Amphibia                                      

- Tetrapoda                                        

See also Syncerus caffer, Hipposideros vittatus,  Thelotornis capensis, Trachylepis varia, Zootoca vivipara, Lygodactylus capensis, Troglodytes troglodytes, Chalcophaps indica, Ardea goliath, Sterna hirundo, Burhinus vermiculatus and Tockus alboterminatus.

- Sarcopterygii                                      

-  Osteichthyes                                        

See also Synchiropus splendidus.

- Teleostomi                                               

- Gnathostomata                                          

- Vertebrata                                                    

- Craniata                                                         

- Chordata                                                          

- Deuterostomia                                                    

- Nephrozoa                                                            

See also Zebronia phenice, Crambus pascuella, Nemophora degeerella, Sphinx ligustri, Laelia robusta, Acada biseriata, Metisella willemi, Anthocharis cardamines, Papilio demodocus, Panorpa germanica, Chloromyia formosa, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Helophilus pendulus, Episyrphus balteatus, Metadon inermis, Diasemopsis meigenii, Dolichotachina caudata, Megistocera filipes, Hagenomyia tristis, Phyllobius pomaceus, Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Malachius bipustulatus, Oedemera nobilis, Melolontha melolontha, Cheilomenes lunata, Neojulodis vittipennis, Demetrias atricapillus, Anthia fornasiini, Synagris proserpina, Vespula germanica, Astata tropicalis, Anthophora furcata, Andrena nigroaenea, Pephricus, Grypocoris stysi, Ranatra, Anoplocnemis curvipes, Humbe tenuicornis, Lobosceliana loboscelis, Cyathosternum prehensile, Heteropternis thoracica, Stictogryllacris punctata, Tettigonia viridissima, Sibylla, Enallagma cyathigerum, Pseudagrion hageni, Lestinogomphus angustus, Rhyothemis semihyalina, Ligia oceanica, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Hyllus argyrotoxus, Alopecosa barbipes, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi and Pardosa amentata.

- Bilateralia                                                               

- Eumetazoa                                                                 

- Animalia                                                                        

- Eukaryota                                                                         

Breeding in these frogs is unusual - of those which have been studied, mating occurs on land, with the partners digging themselves backwards into the ground while still mating. Once underground, the female lays fairly large eggs which either hatch directly into small frogs, or large tadpoles which then develop into frogs while still in their underground lair.

This independence from bodies of water means that not only are these frogs surprisingly widespread in areas of dry scrub and desert where water is absent for much of the year, but they also are more-or-less safe from the water-borne amphibian plague of Chytridomiasis. This, combined with their generally positive reputation, cannot however protect them from the increasing development of many suburban and agricultural areas of their habitat; despite a tolerance for subsistence farming and low-level trampling of the ground above them, they cannot survive the heavy machinery of commercial agriculture and construction.

And, as you can probably see from the image above, a mere twig can be quite an obstacle for a chubby little frog that can't hop.



And on that rather extended note, that's all, folk!