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Tiny Squeaker Frog

Arthroleptis kidogo

About

Anthroleptis kidogo is an incredibly small species, with adults reaching less than 1.5cm!

The genus Arthroleptis diverged within the squeaker frog family about 70 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period, 5 million years before the extinction of the dinosaurs, making them as different from their closest relatives as camels are to whales and at a time when pigs and giraffes shared a common ancestor! This species is only known to be from one locality, much less than 100km². It is possible this species may be found in other areas of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The Nguru Mountains are threatened by forest lost and degradation predominantly due to the extensive sugar plantation, small holder agriculture and rice cultivation at the base of the mountain. At higher altitudes, bananas, yams, maize and coffee are cultivated. The Nguru South Forest Reserve is also encroached by cardamom and yam cultivation. Agricultural pressures on these nature reserves are having a marked negative effect on the habitat of these species. Although this species occurs in a nature reserve, enforcement and better management of these areas is required.

  • Order: Anura
  • Family: Arthroleptidae
  • Population: Locally common
  • Trend: unknown
  • Size: <15mm

EDGE Score

EDGE Score: 5.91 (?)
ED Score: 22.13 (?)
GE / IUCN Red List (?)
Not Evaluated Data Deficient Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in the Wild Extinct

Distribution

This species is known from the Nguru South Forest Reserve in the Nguru Mountains, Tanzania, at 830 metres above sea level.

Habitat and Ecology

They are found in leaf litter in forest. This species is presumed to breed by direct development whereby offspring emerge from the eggs as miniature versions of adults and a free living larval stage is bypassed.

Find out more

This wordcloud illustrates the threats facing this species. The size of each word indicates the extent of a species range that is affected by that threat (larger size means a greater area is affected). The colour of the word indicates how much that threat impacts the species (darker shades of red mean the threat is more severe).

Crops Logging Work Fire

Threat wordcloud key:

Small area affected
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Large area affected
Least severe
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Severity unknown
Source: The IUCN List of Threatened Species. Version 2017.1.
Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org