Phrynobatrachus natalensis Smith, 1849

Mulatu, Tilahun & Getahun, Abebe, 2018, Diversity of anurans in forest fragments of southwestern Ethiopia: The case of the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve (YCFBR), Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 158) 12 (2), pp. 30-40 : 36

Phrynobatrachus natalensis Smith, 1849

Phrynobatrachus natalensis , which is a small sized species, was reported to be as equally well-distributed as Ptychadena neumanni throughout Ethiopia in the elevational range between 300–2,200 m ( Largen 2001; Schick et al. 2010; Zimkus and Schick, 2010; Zimkus et al. 2010). During the current survey, the species was observed only in a single locality at the elevation of 1,680 m. The species possesses large oval marks on the anterior region of its dorsum that are arranged in an X-shaped configuration and dark pigmentation on the gular region as Largen (2001) discussed. This feature differentiates it from its relative ( P. minutus ) which was not collected in the current study though it has a possible existence in southwestern Ethiopia ( Largen 2001; Schick et al. 2010). This could arise due to the higher probability of the species to exist above 2,000 m than P. natalensis . During the dry season, many individuals for the species were collected from a swamp near to a slow-moving stream. During wet season, no individuals were observed from any of the collection sites. The species produces an abrupt species-specific call that has high strength and spans very short. It shares its habitat with P. neumanni .