Arthroleptides martiensseni Nieden, 1911
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 Usambara torrent frog (Arthroleptides martiensseni), also known as Martienssen's torrent frog or Tanzania rocky river frog, is a species of frog in the family Petropedetidae. It is endemic to the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, where it is found 200–1,000 m (656.2–3,280.8 ft) above sea level. It is one of many, often taxonomically unrelated, frogs referred to as torrent frogs. It is mostly grey brown to yellowish brown, with a lighter underside and a dark stripe extending from the nostril to the shoulder, and can grow 59 mm (2.3 in) long. The species was first described in 1911 by German zoologist Fritz Nieden, who studied a series of specimens collected two years prior. The scientific name is derived from Arthroleptis, a genus of frogs which this species bears some resemblance to, and Georg Martienssen, the German military commander who collected a specimen of this species. Some populations once thought to belong to this species are now known to represent different, related species such as the southern torrent frog.
Wikipedia contributors, Usambara torrent frog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T15:13:37.694138+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Arthroleptides martiensseni Nieden, 1911
- Name authority
- Nieden, 1911
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Petropedetidae
- Genus
- Arthroleptides
- 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
- familyPetropedetidae Noble, 1931
- genusArthroleptides Nieden, 1911
- speciesArthroleptides martiensseni Nieden, 1911
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Arthroleptides. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Arthroleptides yakusini Channing, Moyer & Howell, 2002 | PetropedetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Petropedetes martiensseni (Nieden, 1911) (Nieden, 1911) | 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=664746 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:GYPS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.