- Amphibian Species of the World on Twitter
- What is the right name?
- Curator's blog
- Running log of additions and changes, 2023
- Logs of changes and additions, 2014–2022
- How to cite
- How to use
- History of the project, 1980 to 2023
- Comments on amphibian taxonomy relating to versions 3.0 to 6.1 (2004 to 2023)
- Scientific Nomenclature and Its Discontents
- Structure of the taxonomic records
- Contributors and reviewers for Amphibian Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (1985)
- Contributors, online editions
- Versions
- Museum abbreviations
- Links to useful amphibian systematic, conservation, collection management, informational, and/or regional sites
- Links to useful FREE library sites
- Copyright and terms of use
Breviceps mossambicus Peters, 1854
Engystoma granosum Cuvier, 1829, Regne Animal., Ed. 2, 2: 112. Types: Not stated; presumably originally in the MNHNP but not known to be there now. Type locality: "Cap" (= Cape of Good Hope, Western Cape Province, Rep. South Africa). Nomen nudum. Synonymy by Parker, 1934, Monogr. Frogs Fam. Microhylidae: 194.
Bufo (Engystoma) granosus Cuvier, 1829, Regne Animal., Ed. 2, 2: 112. by implication, an alternative original combination.
Breviceps mossambicus Peters, 1854, Ber. Bekannt. Verhandl. K. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1854: 628. Syntypes: ZMB 3554 (3 specimens) (see discussion by Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 26: 517-518; and Bauer, Günther, and Robeck, 1996, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 72: 261); BMNH 1862.7.29.29 (reregistered 1947.2.30.93) recorded as a syntype in BMNH records. Parker, 1934, Monogr. Frogs Fam. Microhylidae: 195, also records BMNH 62.7.29.29 as a syntype. Type locality: "Insula Mossambique [all surviving syntypes], Sena".
Systoma granosum — Parker, 1868, Monogr. Struct. Devel. Shoulder-girdle Stern. Vert.: 69.
Breviceps mossambicus var. mossambicus — Werner, 1903, Abh. Math. Physik. Cl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 22: 383, by implication.
Breviceps mitchelli Hoffman, 1944, Soöl. Navors. Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, 1: 182. Holotype: NMB A2632, by original designation. Type locality: "Chitiala [= Chitala River], Nyasaland", Malawi. Synonymy by Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 329, 393; Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 26: 517.
English Names
Flat-faced Frog (Cochran, 1961, Living Amph. World: 174; Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 4).
Mozambique Blaasop (Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 81).
Mozambique Rain Frog (Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 81; Broadley, 1973, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 10: 22; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 104; Lambiris, 1990 "1989", Monogr. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, 10: 69; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 220; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 120).
Moçambique Rain Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 4).
MoZambique Rain Frog (Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 219).
Flat-faced Rain Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 104).
Mozambique Short-headed Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 87).
Distribution
Eastern Tanzania south to eastern Rep. South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and through northern Mozambique and northern Zambia to southeastern Dem. Rep. Congo.
Comment
Angolan material separated as an undescribed taxon by Poynton, 1982, S. Afr. J. Zool., 17: 67–74, who reported extensive hybridization with Breviceps adspersus (although this was rejected by Minter, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 172–173). See Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 26: 517–528, and Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 68–69, for discussion of taxonomic problems and comparison with Breviceps adspersus. Minter, 1997, Ann. Natal Mus., 38: 5–19, reported on advertisement call structure and morphology. See also accounts by Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 221–222, Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 219–220, Minter, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 184–186, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 61–62, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 120–121. Mercurio, 2011, Amph. Malawi: 105–107, provided an account for Malawi. Harper, Measey, Patrick, Menegon, and Vonesh, 2010, Field Guide Amph. E. Arc Mts. Tanzania and Kenya: 82–83, provided a brief account for the Eastern Arc Mountain region of Tanzania. Portik, Mulungu, Sequeira, and McEntee, 2013, Herpetol. Rev., 44: 395, provided a record for Zambézia Province, Mozambique. Ohler and Frétey, 2014, J. E. Afr. Nat. Hist., 103: 81–82, provided a brief account for northern Mozambique. Conradie, Bittencourt-Silva, Engelbrecht, Loader, Menegon, Nanvonamuquitxo, Scott, and Tolley, 2016, Zoosyst. Evol., Berlin, 92: 163–180, reported populations from Mount Namuli (Zambezia Province) and Mount M'pàluwé (Nampula Province), Mozambique. In the Breviceps mossambicus group of Nielsen, Daniels, Conradie, Heinicke, and Noonan, 2018, J. Biogeograph., 45: 2067–2079, who reported on molecular phylogenetics and biogeography. Phaka, Netherlands, Kruger, and Du Preez, 2017, Bilingual Field Guide Frogs Zululand: 25, provided a photograph, Zululand regional map, and a brief account of life history and identification. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 120–121, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. Bittencourt-Silva, Bayliss, and Conradie, 2020, Amph. Rept. Conserv., 14 (2: e247): 198–271, reported the species from Mount Lico, Ile District, Zambezia Province, northeast-central Mozambique; possibly to northeastern Botswana.
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 CalPhoto Images and Google Images
- To search the NIH genetic sequence database, see GenBank
- For additional information see AmphibiaWeb report
- For information on conservation status and distribution see the IUCN Redlist
- For related information on conservation and images as well as observation see iNaturalist
- For access to available specimen data for this species, from over 350 scientific collections, go to Vertnet.