An army of Micro Frogs
An exciting Nuwejaars wetlands discovery
A new discovery in the Nuwejaars wetlands has created much excitement for amphibian experts and conservationists alike.
A new subpopulation of the Critically Endangered Micro Frog (Microbatrachella capensis) has been found in a hidden wetland in the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area.
The Micro Frog is a tiny species, about the size of a person’s thumbnail when it’s fully grown.
Up to now, it was believed that only four subpopulations remained, found between the Cape Flats and the southern tip of Africa.
If you combine the total area that this amphibian species occupies in the world, it amounts to just 7km².
The Micro Frog is Critically Endangered due to this very small range, as well as the habitat lost or degraded within this restricted range, as a result of urbanisation, agricultural expansion and invasive alien vegetation.
This discovery appears to show a previously unknown subpopulation, making it only the fifth left in the world.
It also seems to indicate that the Agulhas Plain is a stronghold for the species, with another subpopulation found in the neighbouring Agulhas National Park.
The army of frogs was found by University of Stellenbosch student, Oliver Angus, working with the conservation team at the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area. While they managed to catch five individuals for identification, they heard around 30 individuals calling.
“This find was completely unexpected.”
Oliver says, “This find was completely unexpected. We were actually searching for Cape Platanna when we found the Micro Frog. This is an awesome find for the species: this is a whole new catchment for them, and it’s a 20km range extension.”
How did Oliver and the NWSMA’s Eugéne Hahndiek discover Micro Frog in our wetlands?
Listen to Oliver’s story here:
A spectacular series of frog finds
In fact, the wetlands and rivers in the NWSMA have also led to other exciting discoveries. This is thanks to WWF South Africa, which is supporting a major project to rehabilitate these wetlands (with co-funding support from the Overberg District Municipality), and to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust, which is supporting monitoring and research work undertaken here.
Endangered Cape Platanna
Our NWSMA Project Manager, Ross Kettles, says, “During our monitoring activities, we also recently found a number of populations of the Endangered Cape Platanna (Xenopus gilli) here. The Cape Platanna is also in trouble – it’s known from only four locations in the world, and is extremely sensitive to habitat change.” This was the first record of Cape Platanna on the Agulhas Plain. Image: Cliff and Suretha Dorse, www.biodiversityfocused.co.za.
Other frogs in the Nuwejaars Wetlands:
What the experts say
The discoveries of these new species have also caught the eye of amphibian experts. Dr Jeanne Tarrant of the Endangered Wildlife Trust says of the Micro Frog, “As a Critically Endangered species known from just four subpopulations, and having disappeared from several previous historical localities, this is indeed significant. It appears to represent the most inland record of the species and is thus an important range expansion.”
She says, “It’s great that the NWSMA provides an additional site where the habitat is well managed.”
An initiative with a difference
The NWSMA is an initiative driven by local farmers and the community of Elim close to Africa’s southernmost tip, covering 47 000 hectares. Landowners have come together to protect the Nuwejaars wetlands system, considered the largest wetland system in South Africa, and threatened fynbos vegetation and wildlife that occur here. They’ve signed title deed restrictions to protect this area forever. The Nuwejaars wetlands system has been described as highly irreplaceable by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Micro frog photo credit: Oliver Angus
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