Hyperolius pusillus

AmphibiaAnuraHyperoliidaeHyperolius
Written By Gary Nicolau

Water Lily Reed Frog

Alternative names:
Umgqagqa weminduzea (Zulu)
Waterlelie rietpadda (Afrikaaans)

Distribution: Botswana; Eswatini; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Somalia; South Africa; Tanzania; Zimbabwe
Distribution extended: May occur in Uganda

Type Locality: Umvoti
Notes:

Habitat: Savanna, Grassland
Habitat extended: Often found on water lilies and vegetation in shallow pans, vleis, open swamps, and dams

 

Natural History: Breeding generally occurs between October-March (Alexander 1987). Males are in abundance and form large choruses from vegetation within waterbodies.
Tadpole:
Calls:

Biology: Around 500 light green eggs are laid in groups, with a jelly surrounding the eggs acting as a glue.

Conservation Status: According to the IUCN Red List, this species is classified as "Least Concern" indicating that it is not currently considered to be at high risk of extinction.

Additional information

AmphibiaWeb (See here)
IUCN Red List (See here)
iNaturalist (See here)

LITERATURE

  • Cope, E. D. (1862). Notes upon some reptiles of the Old World. Proceedings of the Academy of natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 337-594.

  • Dudley, C.O. 1978. The herpetofauna of the Lake Chilwa basin. Nyala: 87-99.

  • Jacobsen, N. (1978). Colloquial names for southern African reptiles and amphibians. The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa, 18(1), 7-13.

  • Lambiris, A.J.L. 1989. A review of the amphibians of Natal. Lammergeyer 39: 1-210.

  • Pickersgill, M. 2007. Frog Search. Results of Expeditions to Southern and Eastern Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

  • Phaka, F. M., Netherlands, E.C., Kruger, D.J.D., Du Preez, L.H. (2019). Folk taxonomy and indigenous names for frogs in Zululand, South Africa. J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine, 15, 17.

  • Poynton, J.C. 2003. Altitudinal species turnover in southern Tanzania shown by anurans: some zoogeographical considerations. Systematics and Biodiversity 1: 117-126.

  • Poynton, J.C. and Broadley, D.G. 1987. Amphibia Zambesiaca. 3. Rhacophoridae and Hyperoliidae. Annals of the Natal Museum 28: 161-229.

  • Poynton, J.C. 1964. Amphibia of the Nyasa-Luangwa region of Africa. Senckenbergiana Biologica 45: 193-225.

  • Poynton, J.C. 1964. The amphibia of southern Africa: a faunal study. Annals of the Natal Museum 17: 1-334.

Gary Nicolau
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