Description
A very large Chiromantis from eastern Africa with almost full webbing. Males 43–75 mm, females 60–90 mm. No tarsal fold. Dorsal surfaces brownish to grey, sometimes white, with or without darker mottling. Similar in pattern and placement of vomerine teeth to Chiromantis petersii, but differing by the extensive webbing; broad web extends more than 70% of the distance between the tubercles of the third finger.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, United Republic of, Zambia, Zimbabwe

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (8 records).

In the northern part of its range seems to prefer rather dense humid savanna, sometimes semi-deciduous forests. Further south apparently in drier savanna. Found in savannas from coastal Kenya to north-eastern South Africa and inland to north-eastern Namibia.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
The voice consists of subdued croaks and squeaks emitted irregularly.

As with other species of Chiromantis, pairs build foam nests over water bodies, where eggs are deposited. Larvae once hatched drop into the water. Development similar to that of C. rufescens.

Larva
The tadpole has a tooth formula of 1,2+2/3 (Schiøtz 2008).

Comments
This account was taken from "Treefrogs of Africa" by Arne Schiøtz with kind permission from Edition Chimaira publishers, Frankfurt am Main. Updated by A. Schiøtz, 2008.

References

Phaka, F.M., Netherlands, E.C., Kruger, D.J.D., Du Preez, L.H. (2019). Folk taxonomy and indigenous names for frogs in Zululand, South Africa. J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine 15, 17. [link]

Poynton, J. C. (2000). ''Foam-nest treefrogs in eastern Africa (Anura Rhacophoridae Chiromantis) : taxonomic complexities.'' African Journal of Herpetology, 49, 111-128.

Schiøtz, A. (1999). Treefrogs of Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2023 Chiromantis xerampelina: Gray Tree Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4377> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 28, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 28 Dec 2024.

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