Pickersgill’s Reed Frog, Hyperolius pickersgilli, is found only in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, where it occupies only a small area of coastal wetlands. It is a small species, measuring up to 30 mm (a little over 1 inch) in females. The diminutive reed frog changes color quite noticeably from juvenile to adult. Juveniles are pale brown to greenish, while adult females and some males become a much brighter green color, often with distinctive yellow and white stripes.
The Pickersgill’s Reed Frog is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM due to its extremely small Area of Occupancy, estimated to be only about 9 km2. There are a number of threats to the species in this area, including urban development, the use of the insecticide DDT for mosquito control, and drainage for agricultural purposes.
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There are three captive rescue populations in South Africa for this species, one at the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) in Durban, one at the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria, and the third one at Johannesburg Zoo. Offspring have been produced by the populations in Durban and Pretoria, and it is hoped that the populations can be strengthened with the collection of additional founder animals.
Submit your observations of this species to iNaturalist and they will appear on this map. Learn more about this species on Amphibiaweb.
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Produced in partnership with:
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How to become an Amazing Amphibians partner:
Outlined below are the roles and responsibilities for the 4 different levels of involvement for potential partners. If your organization would like to be a part of the Amazing Amphibians program in either of these capacities please email amazing@amphibians.org.
Senior Partner – These partners will help with multiple aspects of the program, help facilitate the completion of several species profiles, publicize each Amazing Amphibian and will likely have a landing page for the program on their website. This level of partner will be leading in using their communication channels to gather additional information for the program such as images and data points for iNaturalist.
Strategic Partner – These partners will play an active role in creating species profiles, submitting at least three species profiles per year and actively use their social network to publicize each Amazing Amphibian. This level of partner will be active in using their communication channels to gather additional information for the program such as images and data points for iNaturalist.
Focal Partner – Partners tend to be active in a limited geographic area. This partner will submit at least one regional species profile per year and use their social network to publicize each Amazing Amphibian. This level of partner will be involved in using their communication channels to gather additional information at a regional level for the program such as images and data points for iNaturalist.
Affiliate – These partners are interested in promoting the program but might not be in a position to provide profiles. These partners will publicize each Amazing Amphibian through the social media outlets.
