Journal de la biodiversité, de la bioprospection et du développement

Seasonal Distributions of True Frogs (Family Ranidae) in Tropical Rainforest of Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Ajibola ME, Akinpelu AI and Imeh-Nathaniel A

Although Nigeria encompasses one of the most abundant anuran faunas in the world, quantitative information on anuran ecology are limited, especially in the Southwestern region. Four study sites with different vegetation structures in southwest Nigeria were selected and monitored for anuran species. Four species (Rana asdpersa, R. aurora, R. clamitans and R. sylvatica) of the family Ranidae were identified. The study sites were located at Okitipupa, Ore, Osogbo and Ile-Ife. This study was carried in both rainy and dry season, between the years 2002 and 2007. In general, fewer number of amphibian species were observed during the dry season at the four study sites. Total number of individuals caught in the study sight was slightly higher in the rainy season (53.4%) than in the dry season (46.6%). In each of the seasons, more of R. clamitans and R. sylvatica were captured than R. aurora and R. adspersa; with R. aurora accounting for the least number of frog species caught in both dry and rainy seasons. Habitat destruction and modification are key causes of habitat loss of anuran species observed in this study. Focus should be on conservation strategies that monitor and detect changes (increase/decrease) in the diversity and abundance of the ranids and other anurans within a specified study area of interest over time.