Rose's rain frogChanning, Alan. 2001. Amphibians of Central South Africa: pg. 224 or Rose's rainfrogVan Dijk, 1978, J. Herpetologist Association of Africa, 17: pg. 15 (Breviceps rosei) is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is endemic to the sandveld of south-western coastal South Africa.Frost, Darrel. Breviceps rosei, Amphibian Species of the World 5.0, The American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved July 23, 2007. It is less-frequently known as Rose's short-headed frog,Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 88 Rose's Blaasop,Rose, 1950, Rep. Amph. S. Afr.: 93 or the sand rain frog.Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 4; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 96 Some treat Breviceps fasciatus as a synonym of this species,Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 77. although other authorities have expressed doubt.
Frogs in this species spend most of their lives in subterranean nests under sandy ground, where they lay their eggs. They surface during heavy rain. They cannot swim, and are not found in water. Tadpoles develop inside the eggs and hatch as fully formed baby frogs.Channing, Alan. University of the Western Cape. Reproduced in Fynbos Frogs. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
Habitats Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, Fynbos Mediterranean shrubland vegetation, sandy shores, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, and urban areas. It is threatened by habitat loss, and its range is restricted to less than 20,000 square kilometers. Despite this, its future seems secure, as it is very adaptable and remains locally abundant.
Subspecies There are two subspecies found on separate coasts.Breviceps rosei, Amphibiaweb, retrieved July 23, 2007. The sand rain frog (Breviceps rosei rosei) occurs on the west coast of the Western Cape, and on Robben Island. The eastern Rose rain frog (Breviceps rosei vansoni) occurs on the south coast of the Western Cape.
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