Leptopelis natalensis (Smith, 1849)
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 forest tree frog (Leptopelis natalensis) is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae, subfamily Leptopelinae, and is endemic to the eastern coastal area of South Africa. A typical tree frog, it has large eyes and a broad mouth. Its colouration is highly variable: Some may be bright green, others cream coloured, and some may be cream with olive-green blotches.
Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, subtropical forests, swamps, intermittent freshwater marshes, and rural gardens.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
These frogs usually live in the foliage and branches of forest trees. They lay eggs on banks of ponds and quiet streams, or on broad leaves near the water's edge. The tadpoles hatch and drop into the water where they grow and develop into frogs. Its call is somewhat akin to "bwee YACK-yack". The first part of the call being described as "soft buzzing".
Wikipedia contributors, Natal forest tree frog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T16:58:07.037054+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Leptopelis natalensis (Smith, 1849)
- Name authority
- (Smith, 1849)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Arthroleptidae
- Genus
- Leptopelis
- 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
- familyArthroleptidae Mivart, 1869
- subfamilyLeptopelinae Laurent, 1972
- genusLeptopelis Günther, 1859
- speciesLeptopelis natalensis (Smith, 1849)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Leptopelis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Leptopelis anchietae (Barboza du Bocage, 1873) | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis anebos Portillo & Greenbaum, 2014 | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis aubryioides (Andersson, 1907) | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis boulengeri (Werner, 1898) | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis brevirostris (Werner, 1898) | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis bufonides Schiøtz, 1967 | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis fenestratus Laurent, 1972 | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis fiziensis Laurent, 1973 | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis flavomaculatus (Günther, 1864) | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis grandiceps Ahl, 1929 | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis kivuensis Ahl, 1929 | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leptopelis lebeaui (De Witte, 1933) | ArthroleptidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Eucnemis bucephalus Günther, 1859 Günther, 1859 | synonym |
| Polypedates natalensis Smith, 1849 Smith, 1849 | synonym |
| Hylambates natalensis (Smith, 1849) (Smith, 1849) | 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=663249 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:3TSN6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.