EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Ngoto Reed Frog, Hyperolius brachiofasciatus, Family Hyperoliidae
Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

Explanation:  This beautiful little amphibian belongs to the reed frog family, which is restricted to Africa and islands of the Indian Ocean.  There are more than 120 species of reed frogs and new species are still being described. 

Reed frogs are mostly tree-dwellers.  In fact, I discovered this one at night.  I was out calling for owls in Salonga National Park in the heart of the Congo River Basin, and I hung my small tape recorder on the trunk of a tree.  When I went back to retrieve the recorder, this frog was perched on it!  Maybe it was attracted to the hum of the motor, or the feel of the metal?   

Reed frogs are amazingly diverse in color and pattern.  They are marked by horizontal, oval-shaped pupils and expanded toe pads, both characteristics of which are visible in this week's photograph.  

The specific occurrence and historical distribution of this particular species -- which is probably the Ngoto reed frog -- is confused.  The type specimen (the original, first known location of this species) is from Ngoto in the Central African Republic; it was not previously known from Salonga National Park in Democratic Republic of the Congo, where I found it.  However, the identification of my frog is tentative, as it is very difficult to tell species of this family from photographs alone.  

IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) lists this species as "threatened," although this designation may be because of limited data on its distribution and abundance.  Other web sites also note that it is known only from its type locality in Ngoto, Central African Republic, but again this status is likely to be updated; it is likely not as rare and as locally endemic as current records indicate.  

But nothing is known about the species; the Global Amphibian Assessment database lists the species as "data deficient" and that the type specimen has been lost.  In fact, the validity of the taxonomy of this species is in question, and it may in fact belong to another described species.  Ongoing research may solve this puzzle.  

Acknowledgment:  My sincere thanks to Prof. Dr. Mark-Oliver Rödel of the Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology Biocenter, Würzburg Germany, for information on this species and help with identification.