Hemisus barotseensis

Hemisus barotseensis is a species of frogs in the family Hemisotidae.[1][3] It is endemic to western Zambia and known with certainty only from the Barotse Floodplain, along the Zambezi River. The record from the Kafue Flats is uncertain.[1]

Hemisus barotseensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hemisotidae
Genus: Hemisus
Species:
H. barotseensis
Binomial name
Hemisus barotseensis
Channing and Broadley, 2002[2]

Description

Males measure 25–30 mm (0.98–1.18 in) and females 21–37 mm (0.83–1.46 in) in snout–vent length. The body is spherical with small head. The snout is tapered and has a hardened, pale tip. The arms short and muscular, with pointed fingers (the fore limbs are used in burrowing). The hind limbs are short. Skin is smooth. The dorsum and sides are translucent silvery-yellow on black background, with black mottling. Most specimens have a thin, pale vertebral stripe.[2]

The male advertisement call is a long trill. Pulses come in quadruplets, with a pulse rate of 28 per second. The dominant frequency is 4.3 kHz. The call is unique among Hemisus.[2]

Habitat and conservation

Hemisus barotseensis lives in floodplains in savannas. It is probably fossorial, and nests in burrows in wet soil, adjacent to temporary water. Threats to it are unknown. It occurs in the Liuwa Plain and Lochinvar National Parks.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group & South African Frog Re-assessment Group (SA-FRoG) (2016). "Hemisus barotseensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T55277A77161262. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T55277A77161262.en.
  2. Channing, Alan & Broadley, Donald G. (2002). "A new snout-burrower from the Barotse Floodplain (Anura: Hemisotidae: Hemisus)". Journal of Herpetology. 36 (3): 367–372. doi:10.1670/0022-1511(2002)036[0367:ANSBFT]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 1566179.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Hemisus barotseensis Channing and Broadley, 2002". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
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