Rain frogs – known for their stubby legs, golf ball-shaped bodies, and disgruntled facial expressions are endemic to parts of Southern and Eastern Africa.
The genus Breviceps, which includes around 20 species, has just welcomed a new member. What’s more, the discovery of this unusual frog species happened almost by chance.
The story began with a group of frog enthusiasts who set out on a mission to track down every species listed in a field guide authored by Professor Louis du Preez, a herpetologist at North-West University.
Their target was the elusive Bilbo’s Rain Frog (Breviceps bagginsi), but what they found was something entirely different.
Analysing the data
Believing they had located the Bilbo frog, the group sent Professor du Preez a photo and an audio recording of its call for confirmation. But something didn’t add up.
“There was something curious,” said du Preez. “I thought they had mixed up the images and the sounds. But when I pointed this out, they sent a video, and that’s when I realised that we were looking at a new species.”
To verify the find, du Preez and his team conducted both genetic testing and morphological comparisons. The results confirmed that this was indeed a previously undocumented species, distinct from its closest relative, Breviceps verrucosus.
Among the key differences: a visible eardrum and the position of its grumpy-looking mouth set it apart from other members of the genus – not to mention its call, which was shorter, faster, and more frequent than those of related species.
The Boston Rain Frog
The newly-discovered amphibian has been named Breviceps batrachophiliorum, or more commonly, the Boston Rain Frog. This is a nod to the area near Boston in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands where the frog was first collected.
The rain frog’s scientific name, meaning “frog-loving people,” honours the individuals who played a role in its discovery and documentation.
These include Marius Burger, Nick Evans, Cormac Price, Dylan Leonard, those who provided additional information and the many herpetologists and nature-lovers who contributed data to the Southern African Frog Atlas Project between 1996 and 2003.
“This finding also means that the Bilbo’s Rain Frog’s conservation status jumps from being listed as Vulnerable, to Critically Endangered,” added Nick Evans aka The Snake Rescuer.
“We now know their range does not extend from where they do occur, Babanango, to the Midlands…which is a big range reduction.”
Have you ever found a rain frog in your home?
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