Description
Spelaeophryne methneri is a monotypic frog in the Brevicipitidae family. The largest male S. methneri is about 52 millimeters long, while the longest female is 53 millimeters long. The snout is longer than the diameter of the eye, and the nostrils are positioned at the tip of the snout. Its pupil is horizontal, and the visible, round tympanum is equally as large as its eye. This frog has short, thick phalanges with undilated tips. The skin of S. methneri has varied textures and transitions randomly from pitted, smooth, wrinkled, and granular. A faint skin fold exists from the eye to the shoulder (Barbour and Loveridge 1928, Channing and Howell 2006).

DIAGNOSIS:

This frog has an ossified process on the anterior side of its lower jaw, making it similar to the following frogs: Uperodon systoma, Breviceps fuscus, Probreviceps macrodactylus, Gastrophryne carolinensis, Elachistocleis ovalis, Kaloula pulchra, Microhyla pulchra, and Glyphoglossus molossus. Like Probreviceps macrodactylus, S. methneris has a well-developed accessory slip attachment on this ossified process. However, the microhylids Glyphoglossus molossus and Uperodon systoma do not have an accessory slip (Emerson 1976). Additionally, the distinct tympanum of S. methneri differentiates it from Probreviceps uluguruensis, which has a hidden tympanum (Channing and Howell 2006).

COLORATION:

In life, the dorsal surface of this frog is black. Idiosyncratic to this species, a bright red V-shaped band traces S. methneri’s back, extending toward the tympanum above the eyes. The belly is a brown shade (Channing and Howell 2006).

VARIATION:

There is some sexual dimorphism. Males can have a vocal sac and they tend to have larger tympani than females (Barbour and Loveridge 1928, Channing and Howell 2006). There is some individual variation too; occasionally, a scarlet bar can be found beneath the eyes. The snout may lack a bar, though this is rare (Channing and Howell 2006).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Tanzania, United Republic of

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Spelaeophryne methneri can be found in the Taita Hills of Kenya, the southeast regions of Tanzania, and the Uluguru and Udzungwa mountains (Channing and Howell 2006).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Typically, this frog lives in leaf litter. They have been found near shallow rivers in damp pockets underneath logs (Barbour and Loveridge 1928).

Much is still unknown about this mysterious, elusive species. Nevertheless, S. methneri large eggs have been observed, which may indicate that the frog is a direct developer with a terrestrial nest (Channing and Howell 2006).

Extremely sticky secretions have also been observed on the skin of S. methneri. They give the frog’s skin a slug-like texture. Moreover, they cause the frog’s utmost skin layers to slough off in patches, revealing white tissue underneath (Barbour and Loveridge 1928).

Trends and Threats
Much is still unknown about this species; consequently, there is no available data on its ecological threats (IUCN 2013).

Comments
Maximum likelihood analysis of 12S and 16S rRNA determined that S. methneri is most closely related to the clade compose of Probreviceps rungwensis, P. uluguruensis, P. loveridgei, and P. macrodactylus. Spelaeophryne methneri is also closely related to the genus Callulina (Loader et al. 2004). However, the many relationships in the Brevicipitidae family are unclear as of 2024.

References
Barbour, T., and Loveridge, A. (1928). A Comparative Study of the Herpetological Faunae of the Uluguru and Usambara Mountains, Tanganyika Territory with Descriptions of New Species. Cambridge. [link]

Bauer, A. M., R. Günther, and H. E. Robeck. (1996). An annotated type catalogue of the hemisotid, microhylid, myobatrachid, pelobatid and pipid frogs in the Zoological Museum, Berlin (Amphibia: Anura: Hemisotidae, Microhylidae, Myobatrachidae, Pelobatidae and Pipidae). Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin 72(2), 259–275. [link]

Channing, A., and K. M. Howell. 2006. Amphibians of East Africa. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.

Emerson, S. B. (1976). A Preliminary Report on the Superficial Throat Musculature of the Microhylidae and Its Possible Role in Tongue Action. Copeia, 1976(3), 546–551. [link]

IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2013. Spelaeophryne methneri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T58004A18373903. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T58004A18373903.en. Accessed in November 2024.

Loader, S. P., Gower, D. J., Howell, K. M., Doggart, N., Rödel, M.-O., Clarke, B. T., de Sá, R. O., Cohen, B. L., and Wilkinson, M. (2004). Phylogenetic relationships of African microhylid frogs inferred from DNA sequences of mitochondrial 12s and 16S rrna genes. Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 4(4), 227–235. [link]

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2024 Spelaeophryne methneri: Scarlet-snouted frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/2391> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed May 22, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 22 May 2025.

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