West African Rubber Frog

Phrynomantis microps are a medium-sized frog that measures between 40 and 60mm as an adult. Their back as well as the pelvic region are bright red while the rest of the body is dark brown. The brightness of the red back can change to brown or even gray depending on the situation in which the frog finds itself, the pelvic region will always be the reddest part of the body.

Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, intermittent freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, and pastureland. Adult Phrynomantis microps live alone in burrows under the many different savannah types. Ponds formed during the rainy season are the site of mating and where the offspring Phrynomantis microps live until they are no longer tadpoles. The adult Phrynomantis microps are usually deep underground in order to be in a humid environment. Frequently these burrows are merged seamlessly with the nests of large ants, to the point where it is not clear whether the burrows were dug by the frog or are originally tunnels by the ants. There are also cases where a Phrynomantis microps have been found in scorpion burrows. Since not all tunnels in the ant burrow are large enough for Phrynomantis microps to fit, it is likely it digs its own burrow. Phrynomantis microps are found all across Western and Central Africa, from Senegal to the Central African Republic and parts of South Sudan. Several studies of Phrynomantis microps are undertaken at Comoé National Park (CNP) in the Ivory Coast.

Spawning of Phrynomantis microps is fairly typical, with the male forming an amplexus and fertilizing the female. They then remain coupled while they finish walking to a nearby pond, where immediately after fertilization the egg clutches are laid. The number of eggs laid varies considerably, with the number from observed spawnings ranging from 100 to 600+ eggs. The eggs are white or yellowish. Tadpoles hatch after two days, and are translucent. The tadpoles metamorphose into froglets in 40 days and then leave the water. Phrynomantis microps will only search for mates during the rainy season of their respective habitats, which vary in duration and precipitation rates. It will lay multiple clutches that are split into multiple clutches of eggs of varying sizes. Locations are both within and between separate ponds formed by the rain. For example, in the CNP, reproductive activity was measured from 1992 to 1996. While from 1992 to 1994 reproductive activity – male calling, clutches – was only observed after rainfalls of more than 16mm, from 1995 to 1996 the same was found after rainfall of only 2mm. Over the course of the same years, Phrynomantis microps in another reserve in Benin would exhibit reproductive activity at different rainfall rates. …