Newly discovered populations of the Ethiopian endemic and endangered Afrixalus clarkei Largen, implications for conservation

By

Mertens, Jan
Jocque, Merlijn
Geeraert, Lore
De Beenhouwer, Matthias

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2016

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

565

Pages

141-146

Subjects

Amphibians , Distribution , forest , IUCN , Southwest Ethiopia , survey

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.565.7114

 

Abstract

Knowledge of the Ethiopian amphibian fauna is limited and Southwest Ethiopia remains understudied. This part of Ethiopia, where most of the country’s remaining natural forest is situated, is known to harbour the only populations of Afrixalus clarkei (Largen), an endemic banana frog, worldwide. This species is under great threat of extinction and is therefore classified as endangered on the IUCN red list. We surveyed different potential habitats for this species outside its known range and found several new populations extending its known habitat preference, and the geographical and altitudinal range of the species. We here show that Afrixalus clarkei is more common than previously thought.