CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Science & Nature

Amietia delalandii

species of amphibian

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 12, 2026
Entity authorityQ2245819
Source-derived summary

Amietia delalandii, also known as the Delalande's river frog, the Drakensberg frog, Drakensberg river frog, or Sani Pass frog, is a species of southern African river frog in the family Pyxicephalidae. It is found in Lesotho, South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and possibly Zambia. It is the sister species to A. vertebralis.

Description

River frogs all have streamlined bodies with pointed noses and live close to water. They have well-developed hind legs and when disturbed rapidly leap into the water, where they may remain submerged for long periods.

Males reach a snout–urostyle length 58 mm (2.3 in) and females 83 mm (3.3 in). The toes are partially webbed. The colouration is variable but typically the dorsum ranges from dull brown to luminous green with a pale brown background with orange flecks, and is covered by small dark brown blotches. About half of individuals have a prominent pale vertebral stripe. The tympanum is more than half the diameter of its eye and is dark with pale flecks.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Amietia delalandii” is species of amphibian. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Amietia, delalandii and species, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current 166-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Amietia, delalandii and species is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “species of amphibian” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2245819.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Amietia delalandii”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Amietia delalandii primary sources, Amietia delalandii archive and Amietia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Amietia delalandii”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Amietia delalandii” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.