Amietia dracomontana
Amietia dracomontana (Channing, 1978)
- kingdom Animalia
- phylum Chordata
- class Amphibia
- order Anura
- family Pyxicephalidae Bonaparte, 1850
- Sub-Family Cacosterninae Noble, 1931
- genus Amietia Dubois, 1987
Original Published Description:
Common Names
Drakensberg Frog (English), Sani Pass Frog (English), Drakensberg River Frog (English)
Overview
Distribution
A. dracomontana is endemic to the highlands of southern and eastern Lesotho (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
Rights holder(s): Channing, A. - Comment (0)
Ecology
Habitat and Ecology
Walton (1984) reported that A. dracomontana is found in montane grassland at altitudes above 2000 m in areas that usually experience snow in winter and where annual rainfall is >700 mm (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
Rights holder(s): Channing, A. - Comment (0)
Associations
Amietia dracomontana tested positive for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (chytrid fungus that causes the disease chytridiomycosis) in Meiringskloof, Free State, South Africa in 2004 (Weldon, 2005). This species also tested positive for the fungus near the Katis Dam, Lesotho in 2004 (Weldon, 2005).
Rights holder(s): Bergmann, Travis - Comment (0)
Food items consist mostly of Hemiptera, Coleoptera and Orthoptera. Predators are unknown, although at lower altitudes otters are important predators of river frogs (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
Rights holder(s): Channing, A. - Comment (0)
Life History
Reproduction
Breeding takes place in shallow streams and along the edges of rivers with well-vegetated banks. These habitats are typically rocky with rounded basaltic stones forming the riverbed. The species uses the same habitat throughout the year, including the breeding season. Breeding takes place in summer from October to February (Channing 1978, 1979). Males call at or near the water’s edge (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
Rights holder(s): Channing, A. - Comment (0)
Conservation
IUCN Red List Category and Justification of Conservation Status
A. dracomontana is not threatened (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
Rights holder(s): Channing, A. - Comment (0)
Taxonomy
- Rana dracomontana Channing, 1978 (synonym)
- Rana (Rana) dracomontana — Dubois, 1987 "1986" (synonym)
- Rana (Afrana) dracomontana — Dubois, 1992 (synonym)
- Afrana dracomontana — Visser and Channing, 1997 (synonym)
- Amietia dracomontana — Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green, and Wheeler, 2006 (synonym)