Breviceps verrucosus Rapp, 1842
Breviceps verrucosus Rapp, 1842, Arch. Naturgesch., 8: 291. Type(s): Not designated. Type locality: "Natal", Rep. South Africa.
Breviceps tympanifer Hewitt, 1925, Ann. Natal Mus., 5: 190. Syntypes: AMG390 (2 specimens), by original designation; now in PEM. Type locality: "Pirie, [Eastern] C.[ape] P.[rovince]", Rep. South Africa. Synonymy by Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 72.
Breviceps rugosus Power, 1926, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., 20: 467. Holotype: MMK, by original designation. Type locality: "Marianhill, [KwaZulu-]Natal", Rep. South Africa. Synonymy by Parker, 1934, Monogr. Frogs Fam. Microhylidae: 188; Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 70.
Breviceps striatus Hoffman, 1940, Soöl. Navors. Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, 1: 101. Holotype: NMB 1691, by original designation. Type locality: "Mazongwaan Forest, Gretown, [KwaZulu-]Natal", Rep. South Africa. Synonymy by Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 70.
Breviceps maculatus FitzSimons, 1947, Ann. Natal Mus., 11: 134. Holotype: NMP 656, by original designation. Type locality: "Bushman's Peak (8500 ft. altitude), Giant's Castle, Drakensberg, [KwaZulu-]Natal", Rep. South Africa. Synonymy by Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 84.
Breviceps verrucosus tympanifer — Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 72. Distinctiveness from Breviceps verrucosus verrucosus rejected by Minter, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 195.
Breviceps verrucosus verrucosus — Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 72.
English Names
Rain Frog (Breviceps tympanifer: Hewitt, 1937, Guide Vert. Fauna E. Cape Province, Rept. Amph. Fishes: 113).
Plaintive Rain Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 4; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 84; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 227; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 132).
Natal Short-headed Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 88).
Spotted Short-headed Frog (Breviceps maculatus [no longer recognized]: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 87).
Distribution
Drakensburg and Eastern Plateau slopes of Rep. South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland.
Comment
See accounts by Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 61-62 (who noted possible sympatry between Breviceps verrucosus tympanifer and Breviceps verrucosus verrucosus), Branch, 1990, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 37: 20, Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 228, Minter, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 194-195, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 132-133. Breviceps maculatus was resurrected by Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 65, who provided a brief account, but this resurrection was disputed by Channing, 1989, Lammergeyer, 40: 2, who noted that the difference between the taxa was solely a minor difference in color pattern). Bates and Haacke, 2003, Navors. Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, 19: 121-122, discussed the species in Lesotho.
External Links
Please note: these links will take you to external websites not affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History. We are not responsible for their content.
- For additional sources of information from other sites search Google
- For images search Arkive, CalPhoto Images and Google Images
- To search the NIH genetic sequence database, see GenBank
- For information aggregation from other sites and some original accounts see AmphibiaWeb report
- For further information on conservation status and distribution see the IUCN Redlist
- For related information on conservation and images as well as observation see iNaturalist;
- for a quick link to their maps see iNaturalist KML
