Brown Rain Frog

M 31-40 mm, F 36-42 mm. Head very short and tip of snout relatively rounded. No sharp dorsolateral colour border. Tympanum indistinct. Tibiotarsal articulation reaches insertion of forelimb or tympanum. Tips of fingers and toes not enlarged. Skin slightly to strongly granular. Colouration variable, usually light brown with different brown and black markings. Greenish colouration may occasionally occur. Venter white, sometimes with black spots (Glaw and Vences 2007).Taken with permission from Glaw and Vences (2007) and Glaw and Raxworthy (2008).

Occurs at Ambovombe, Behara, Belo, Berenty, Betanty, Bevato, Esomony, Horombe, Ifaty, Kirindy, Manambolo river near Esomony, Ranohira, Toliara, Vohibasia forest (Glaw and Vences 2007) from sea level up to 800 m asl (Glaw and Raxworthy 2008).

Habits: In dry open areas in southern and south-western Madagascar. Males call on the borders of temporary ponds and puddles. Small eggs are laid and float on the surface. Tadpoles complete their development in the ponds (Glaw and Vences 2007). Calls: A series of loud and relatively long notes which are unharmonious (Glaw and Vences 2007).

This species is listed as least concern because of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category (Glaw and Raxworthy 2008). It occurs in many protected areas and is probably not affected by deforestation, and is adaptable and is unlikely to be threatened (Glaw and Raxworthy 2008).

Scaphiophryne brevis is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, urban areas, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.