Leptopelis bocagii (Günther, 1865)

Common Name and Baseline Ecology

Leptopelis bocagii, commonly known as Bocage's tree frog, is a large frog species that spends most of the year underground in a burrow.

Size

Males grow to 50 mm (2.0 in) in length, while females reach 58 mm (2.3 in).

Dorsal Color Variation

This species shows significant variation in dorsal color, ranging from bright green to brown, a trait common to many other Leptopelis species.

Adult Dorsal Patterning

The upper parts of the body are typically brown, with a darker brown patch on the back that may extend onto the head, or a dark M- or N-shaped blotch on the back.

Digit Morphology

Most digits of this species lack webbing, and have reduced or no toe discs.

Juvenile Coloration

Juveniles have a green or greenish-brown back.

Similar Congener Relationship

Bocage's tree frog is very similar in appearance to the Lake Upemba forest tree frog (Leptopelis parbocagii), and the two are probably part of a single species complex.

Geographic Range

Their geographic ranges overlap, but Bocage's tree frog has a larger range that extends from Ethiopia southward to Namibia and Zambia.

Habitat

Its typical habitats are both wet and dry grassland and savannah.

Non-breeding Behavior

Bocage's tree frog is a ground-dwelling, largely burrowing species, so it is easily overlooked outside of the breeding season.

Male Advertisement Call

The male's call, usually given from the ground and occasionally from low vegetation, is an atonal "waaab" that is sometimes repeated right away.

Breeding Biology

It breeds in temporary pools during the rainy season, with eggs laid in a burrow in the ground near the edge of the water.