Ruo River

Ruo River
Location of the confluence with the Shire River in Chiromo, Malawi
Other name(s) Rio Ruo
Countries Malawi, Mozambique
Physical characteristics
Main source Mulanje Massif, Malawi
15°56′59″S 35°35′37″E / 15.94972°S 35.59361°E / -15.94972; 35.59361
River mouth Chiromo, Malawi
Shire River
16°33′00″S 35°08′00″E / 16.55000°S 35.13333°E / -16.55000; 35.13333Coordinates: 16°33′00″S 35°08′00″E / 16.55000°S 35.13333°E / -16.55000; 35.13333
Basin features
River system Zambezi
Basin size 4,900 km2 (1,900 sq mi)
Waterfalls Ruo Falls

Ruo River is the largest tributary of the Shire River in southern Malawi and Mozambique. It originates from the Mulanje Massif (Malawi) and forms 80 km (50 mi) of the Malawi-Mozambique border. It joins the Shire River at Chiromo.[1]

Ruo River screeching frog

Frog Arthroleptis francei was first collected from near the Ruo River on the slopes of the Mulanje Massif. One of its common names is Ruo River screeching frog.[2] Its other common name, France's squeaker,[2] as well as its specific name francei carry a tragic history. Mr. F. H. France was a young forestry officer who perished in trying to cross the Ruo River close to where Arthroleptis francei were first collected. Arthur Loveridge, the scientist who described the species, named it after France so that "his name may be linked with the forests he sought to preserve on the mountain he loved so well."[3] Despite its connection with river though its history and naming, this frog is a terrestrial species living in leaf litter.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Ruo River". Encyclopædia Britannica. 20 July 1998. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Arthroleptis francei Loveridge, 1953". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  3. ↑ Loveridge, A. (1953). "Zoological results of a fifth expedition to East Africa. IV. Amphibians from Nyasaland and Tete". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 110: 325–406.
  4. ↑ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2016). "Arthroleptis francei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2016: e.T54371A77165298. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T54371A77165298.en. Retrieved 16 September 2017.


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