Heleophryne rosei Hewitt, 1925
H. rosei was previously listed as Rare (McLachlan 1978) and Endangered (Branch 1988). The species is now classified Critically Endangered (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
Males reach 50 mm and females 63 mm in snout-vent length, and resemble other Heleophryne species in their body shape and posture, long limbs, and large, spatulate, adhesive pads at the tips of their fingers and toes. H. rosei differs from other Cape Heleophryne species in having an enlarged, thumb-like, inner metacarpal tubercle, and in the absence of a conspicuous, dark, transverse band across the eye. The dorsum is green with reddish-brown to purple mottling, while the ventrum is generally white with pink shading, particularly on the undersides of the limbs. The skin of the flanks and underside has a granular texture (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
The distinctive tadpoles attain a length of 40–50 mm and are adapted to torrents. They have large, sucker-like oral discs which enable them to cling to rocky substrates in fast-flowing streams and to climb slippery, vertical rock faces. The tadpoles feed on algae covering the rock surfaces, and their feeding trails can be seen on rocks in quieter pools (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
This species is endemic to Table Mountain on the Cape Peninsula of South Africa (Minter et al., 2004).
Boycott and De Villiers (1986) reported that H. rosei occurs mostly in streams draining the wetter southern and eastern slopes, the habitat receive annual rainfall of 1600–2000 mm with an altitude of 240–1060 m. The vegetation types in these habitats are Afromontane Forest and Mountain Fynbos, respectively (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
H. rosei tadpoles take >12 months to complete metamorphosis, and are ready to leave the water by April or May (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
Breeding takes place in spring and summer, once the winter rains have ended and there is a reduction in stream flow (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).