Cameroon forest tree frog


The Cameroon forest tree frog, Leptopelis brevirostris, is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. It is expected to occur in southwestern Central African Republic and in the Republic of the Congo, but no records have been confirmed from those countries.

Description

Adult males measure and females in snout–vent length. The dorsum is smooth, green, beige, or grey, and either uniform or with a darker dorsal spot reaching the upper eyelid. The ventrum is white. The snout is very brief. The tympanum is present and oriented obliquely.

Reproduction

The male advertisement call is a rather tonal, brief "tok", repeated once or twice. The males call at sites far from water. This, together with the large and heavily yolked eggs, suggests that L. brevirostris has direct development, i.e. there is no free-living tadpole stage. This would be different from the general pattern of Leptopelis having aquatic larvae.

Habitat and conservation

The species' natural habitat is mature, closed-canopy lowland rainforest. It appears to be a specializeed snail-eater. The males call from branches and lianas, normally not higher than 3 metres above the ground, and can be abundant.
Leptopelis brevirostris is a common species, but its habitat is impacted by agricultural expansion, logging, and human settlements. It occurs in a number of protected areas, including the Korup National Park in Cameroon and Monte Alén National Park in Equatorial Guinea.