Ericabatrachus

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title: "Ericabatrachus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ranoidea", "monotypic-amphibian-genera", "amphibians-of-ethiopia", "endemic-fauna-of-ethiopia", "bale-mountains", "fauna-of-the-ethiopian-highlands", "critically-endangered-fauna-of-africa", "amphibians-described-in-1991", "taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot"] description: "Genus of amphibians" topic_path: "general/ranoidea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericabatrachus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of amphibians ::

| image = Ericabatrachus baleensis from Siu-Ting et al. BMC Evol Biol 2014.png | status = CR | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | display_parents = 3 | grandparent_authority = Dubois, Ohler, and Pyron, 2021 | genus = Ericabatrachus | parent_authority = Largen, 1991 | species = baleensis | authority = Largen, 1991

Ericabatrachus is a genus of frogs in the family Ericabatrachidae endemic to the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Ericabatrachus baleensis, commonly known as the Bale Mountains frog. It was previously included in the family Petropedetidae, but is now placed in its own monotypic family, Ericabatrachidae.

Taxonomy

Ericabatrachus baleensis is monotypic within its genus and family. The phylogenetic relationships of this poorly known species have been debated, but molecular analyses has placed it the family Petropedetidae, It was updated again in 2021, placing it in the family Ericabatrachidae.

Description

Bale Mountains frogs are small; adult males measure 19 - in snout–vent length and females 23 -. Their fingers are not webbed and toes have rudimentary webbing. Adult males have well-defined femoral glands.

Habitat and conservation

Its natural habitats are grassy banks of small, fast-flowing streams in giant heath woodland and adjoining Astropanax–Hagenia forest. It is critically endangered because its range is extremely small and the habitat is under threat from trampling of streams, deforestation, and settlement development, despite being located in the Bale Mountains National Park.

References

References

1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. (2013). "''Ericabatrachus baleensis''".
2. Frost, Darrel R.. (2014). "''Ericabatrachus baleensis'' Largen, 1991". American Museum of Natural History.
3. Dubois, Alain. (26 February 2021). "New concepts and methods for phylogenetic taxonomy and nomenclature in zoology, exemplified by a new ranked cladonomy of recent amphibians (Lissamphibia)". Megataxa.
4. Frost, Darrel R.. (2014). "''Ericabatrachus'' Largen, 1991". American Museum of Natural History.
5. (2014). "Evolutionary relationships of the Critically Endangered frog ''Ericabatrachus baleensis'' Largen, 1991 with notes on incorporating previously unsampled taxa into large-scale phylogenetic analyses". BMC Evolutionary Biology.
6. (1991). "A new genus and species of petropedetine frog (Amphibia Anura Ranidae) from high altitude in the mountains of Ethiopia". Tropical Zoology.

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