Heleophryne hewitti Boycott, 1988
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.
Hewitt's ghost frog (Heleophryne hewitti) in South Africa
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Open encyclopedia reference
The Hewitt's ghost frog (Heleophryne hewitti) is a species of frog in the family Heleophrynidae.
It is endemic to Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
Its natural habitat is fynbos heathland and grassy fynbos. Adults are difficult to see but live in or near fast-flowing perennial rivers and streams where they also breed. Each female lays up to 200 eggs. Tadpoles are more readily seen and take two years to develop fully.
Hewitt's ghost frog has a very restricted range: it is known from in total five rivers, four in the Elandsberg mountains and one in the Cockscomb mountains. Only small remnants of fynbos survive within its range, and it is threatened by habitat loss caused by afforestation, fires, erosion, siltation of streams, dams, and roads. Introduced predatory fish are probably also a threat.
Wikipedia contributors, Hewitt's ghost frog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T16:18:27.103522+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Heleophryne hewitti Boycott, 1988
- Name authority
- Boycott, 1988
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Heleophrynidae
- Genus
- Heleophryne
- 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
- genusHeleophryne Sclater, 1898
- speciesHeleophryne hewitti Boycott, 1988
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Heleophryne. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Heleophryne depressa FitzSimons, 1946 | HeleophrynidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Heleophryne purcelli Sclater, 1898 | HeleophrynidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Heleophryne regis Hewitt, 1910 | HeleophrynidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Heleophryne rosei Hewitt, 1925 | HeleophrynidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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=662332 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.
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:3K4W8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.