Long-toed Tree Frog
Encyclopedia
The Long-toed Tree Frog (Leptopelis xenodactylus) is a species of frog
in the Hyperoliidae
family.
It is found in South Africa
and possibly Lesotho
.
Its natural habitat
s are temperate grassland
, swamp
s, freshwater marsh
es, and intermittent freshwater marches.
This species generally uses semi-permanent water and its eggs are presumably laid in a nest on the ground near water. As the name implies, these frogs are often seen in very tall trees or other high-growing vegetation. They do not normally descend to the ground, except to mate and spawn — some build foam nests on leaves and during their adult lives rarely leave the trees at all. Tree frogs are usually tiny, as their weight has to be carried by the branches and twigs of their habitat. While some reach 10 cm (4 in) or more, they are hardly in the same size class as "grass frogs." The tree-frogs typically have well-developed discs at the finger and toe tips; the fingers and toes themselves as well as the limbs tend to be rather long, resulting in a superior grasping ability.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
in the Hyperoliidae
Hyperoliidae
Hyperoliidae is a family of small to medium sized, brightly colored, frogs which contains more than 250 species in 19 genera. Seventeen genera are native to sub-Saharan Africa. In addition,the monotypic genus Tachycnemis occurs on the Seychelles Islands, and the genus Heterixalus is endemic to...
family.
It is found in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and possibly Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
.
Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s are temperate grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s, freshwater marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, and intermittent freshwater marches.
This species generally uses semi-permanent water and its eggs are presumably laid in a nest on the ground near water. As the name implies, these frogs are often seen in very tall trees or other high-growing vegetation. They do not normally descend to the ground, except to mate and spawn — some build foam nests on leaves and during their adult lives rarely leave the trees at all. Tree frogs are usually tiny, as their weight has to be carried by the branches and twigs of their habitat. While some reach 10 cm (4 in) or more, they are hardly in the same size class as "grass frogs." The tree-frogs typically have well-developed discs at the finger and toe tips; the fingers and toes themselves as well as the limbs tend to be rather long, resulting in a superior grasping ability.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Source
- Minter, L., Channing, A., Schiøtz, A. & Harrison, J. 2004. Leptopelis xenodactylus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 22 July 2007.