Hadromophryne natalensis (Hewitt, 1913)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Natal ghost frog (Hadromophryne natalensis) is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae. It is the only species in the genus Hadromophryne.
Hadromophryne natalensis is found in Lesotho, South Africa, and Eswatini.
It is a common species inhabiting montane forests and grasslands. It lives and breeds in and around fast-flowing, perennial mountain streams generally above waterfalls that limit access of fish. Adults live in rock crevices in cascades or in the riparian zone along streams. The larvae have broad, suctorial mouthparts and a streamlined form with a muscular tail allowing them to feed and maintain their position in torrent streams. They feed on algal films and detritus on rocks in torrent streams. Larval development takes up to two years therefore permanent streams are required for reproduction. It is potentially threatened by modifications of its habitat caused by afforestation, damming and siltation of streams, and water extraction. It is also negatively affected by the introduced trout.
Wikipedia contributors, Natal ghost frog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T16:18:27.102523+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hadromophryne natalensis (Hewitt, 1913)
- Name authority
- (Hewitt, 1913)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Heleophrynidae
- Genus
- Hadromophryne
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyHeleophrynidae Noble, 1931
- genusHadromophryne Van Dijk, 2008
- speciesHadromophryne natalensis (Hewitt, 1913)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Heleophryne natalensis Hewitt, 1913 Hewitt, 1913 | synonym |
| Heleophryne sylvestris Hewitt, 1926 Hewitt, 1926 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=774206 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3J75W. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.