Dehling, J. M., M. Mindje, B. Dumbo, H. Hinkel, H. Hinkel & U. Sinsch

Advertisement call and notes on the ecology of Afrixalus orophilus (Anura: Hyperoliidae) in Rwanda. pp. 102-105.

Abstract. We studied a population of Afrixalus orophilus during two short assessments at Rusumo, one of the few localities in Rwanda where the species is known to occur. The species was not traceable on the first visit during relatively dry conditions, but we found several dozen individuals two weeks later on a night after heavy afternoon rain, suggesting a strongly periodic activity. We describe for the first time the advertisement call of A. orophilus, which consists of a series of pulsed notes. The advertisement call differs markedly from those of the most closely related species, A. vibekensis and A. weidholzi, and most closely resembles the advertisement calls of A. osorioi, A. lacteus, and A. phantasma, from which it differs by a unique combination of number of notes, note duration, note repetition rate, and dominant frequency. We summarize the knowledge of the distribution of the species in the Rwanda and recommend systematic assessments of potential habitats and close monitoring of the Rusumo population in order to appraise the current status of the species in the country.

Key words. Amphibia, spiny reed frogs, bioacoustics, conservation, Afrixalus vibekensis, A. weidholzi, A. osorioi, A. lacteus, A. phantasma.