South Africa has a multitude of endemic animal and plant species. The Pickersgill’s reed frog is a tiny amphibian that calls the wetlands of coastal KwaZulu-Natal home.
According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) these tiny creatures are quiet frogs, as well as being secretive and quick-moving.
This amphibian was named after Martin Pickersgill, the herpetologist who discovered the species in 1978 in Mount Edgecombe, Durban.
This species of frog is particularly small, with males measuring 22mm and females measuring 29mm in length. According to SANBI, the colour of these amphibians varies, with males and juveniles appearing brown in colour. ‘Adult males are marked with a distinguishing dark-edged, light silvery, dorso-lateral band running from the snout to the hind quarters on each side.’
Females differ in colour greatly. They are a light, bright green colour and do not have the banding that males do. Their underbellies are both smooth and pale. The eyes do not protrude and their pupils are slit horizontally.
Pickersgill’s reed frog, or Hyperolius pickersgilli, belongs to the amphibian family Hyperoliidae.
Unfortunately, the Pickersgill’s reed frog is critically endangered. The small area that these frogs are found in is experiencing severe habitat fragmentation, and an ongoing decline in the quality of its natural habitat contributes to the Pickersgill’s critically endangered status.
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Image: Twitter/ Rainforest Trust
