From the IUCN Red List Species Account:

Range Description

This species is known with certainty only from the East Usambara Mountains (including the Magrotto ridge) and the Nguu Mountains in north-eastern Tanzania. It ranges from 600m to at least 1,200m asl.

Habitat and Ecology

It is found in lowland and montane forest, and is sometimes associated with wild bananas. It appears to be very rare in heavily disturbed forest or in open areas. However, it is locally abundant in stands of introduced bamboo in the Amani Botanic Garden. The eggs are deposited in hollow bamboo stems or leaf axils (and perhaps tree holes) where water is trapped, and where the larvae develop.

Population

It is generally an uncommon species, and is very hard to find outside the breeding season. However, it is easily found in the Amani Botanic Garden in the East Usambaras during the breeding season due to the extensive stands of exotic bamboo, with which it is closely associated (30% of holes in broken bamboo stems have been found to contain eggs, larvae or adults).

Population Trend

Decreasing

Major Threats

It is almost certainly adversely affected by ongoing forest loss, especially for small-scale agriculture. The habitat in the East Usambaras has recently come under serious threat as a result of the activities of illegal gold miners.

Conservation Actions

It occurs in the Amani Nature Reserve, and in several forest reserves; there is a need for increased protection and improved management of these and other reserves in the East Usambaras.

Citation

Kim Howell, Simon Loader, James Vonesh, Michele Menegon 2004. Hoplophryne rogersi. In: IUCN 2012