Description
A small West African forest Afrixalus (males 19-23 mm, females 23-27 mm) with yellowish white dorsum, with a darker or lighter brown pattern of a constant shape. The males lack asperities (Schiøtz 1999).

The form was originally described as a subspecies of the central African A. laevis (Schiøtz 1967), but the differences between the two seem to warrant specific separation. The characteristic pattern of A. vibekae is thus only found in very few of the otherwise very variable A. laevis and the voice is different (Schiøtz 1999).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

This species has been recorded from several disjunct localities in West African forest. In western Côte d'Ivoire it has been found on Mt. Nimba (bordering Guinea and Liberia, from which this species has not yet been reported) (Schiøtz 1967). It also occurs in Taï National Park and Haute Dodo Classified Forest in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire (Rödel 2000, Rödel and Branch 2002). In southwest Ghana it has been reported from Bobiri Forest Reserve (Schiøtz 1967).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
This frog is quiet and secretive. The breeding locality seems to be stagnant swamps in the dense forest (Schiøtz 1999). Eggs may be laid either on leaves above water, or in the water (IUCN 2006).

The voice is an inconspicuous buzzing with low intensity, followed by a creaking sound. The frequency-intensity maximum is high, about 6000 cps (Schiøtz 1999).

Trends and Threats
It depends on forest edge habitat, occurring along roads and in gaps created by treefalls. It is found in several protected areas: Taï National Park and Haute Dodo Classified Forest, in Côte d'Ivoire, and in the Bobiri Forest Reserve, Ghana (IUCN 2006).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Intensified agriculture or grazing
Urbanization

Comments
The forest-living species A. laevis, A. lacteus, and A. uluguruensis are similar and possibly closely related (Schiøtz 1999).

This account was taken from "Treefrogs of Africa" by Arne Schiøtz with kind permission from Edition Chimaira publishers, Frankfurt am Main, and updated by A. Schiøtz, 2008.

References

IUCN, Conservation International, and NatureServe. (2006). Global Amphibian Assessment: Afrixalus vibekensis. www.globalamphibians.org. Accessed on 2 September 2008.

Rödel, M.-O. (2000). ''Les communautés d'amphibiens dans le Parc National de Taï, Côte d'Ivoire. Les anoures comme bio-indicateurs de l’état des habitats.'' Sempervira, 9, 108-113.

Rödel, M.-O., and Branch, W.R. (2002). ''Herpetological survey of the Haute Dodo and Cavally forests, western Ivory Coast, Part I: Amphibians.'' Salamandra, 38, 245-268.

Schiøtz, A. (1967). ''The treefrogs (Rhacophoridae) of West Africa.'' Spolia Zoologica Musei Hauniensis, 25, 1-346.

Schiøtz, A. (1999). Treefrogs of Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Afrixalus vibekensis <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5702> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 26, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 26 Dec 2024.

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