field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of arusha national park

Hyperolius viridiflavus ommatostictus
Laurent, 1951
Common names
Painted Reed Frog
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the Hyperolius viridiflavus
group is extremely complex with
28 subspecies recognized by Schiøtz,
(1999). Wieczorek et al. (2001) split H.
viridiflavus into 10 species and according
to this paper the subspecies
of Arusha National Park should be
included, along with seven more taxa
in Hyperolius glandicolor (Peters,
1878). Most of the books published
before Schiøtz (1999) considered the
ommatostictus subspecies as members
of the large group of Hyperolius marmoratus.
Christina M. Richards (1981)
discussed the pattern variation of different
subspecies of Hyperolius viridiflavus
including H.v. ommatostictus.
Identification
Amedium sized treefrog with a snoutvent
length up to 30 mm, the shape
resembles somewhat the European
treefrog Hyla arborea or the American
barking treefrog Hyla gratiosa. Fingers
and toes bear terminal adhesive discs
and are webbed. The snout is truncate.
Spotted individual from the rest house pond.
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As in all the species of the genus
Hyperolius,the pupil is horizontal and the
tympanum concealed. The colour pattern
of H.v. ommatostictus is extremely variable
usually the dorsum is dark brown
with small white rings or white spots that
can be completely absent in some individuals.
During the day frogs seen resting
on the vegetation can be almost
white. A few adult males and most juveniles
are beige or brown with undulating
dorsolateral stripes. The limbs are often
red especially on the underside. Males
present a large vocal sac on the throat
protected by a gular disc.
Geographic Range
The distribution range of Hyperolius
viridiflavus complex includes most of the
tropical Africa, while the subspecies of
Arusha National Park Hyperolius viridiflavus
ommatostictus is an endemic of
the Kilimanjaro and Meru areas.
Local distribution
The painted reed frog is widespread
near the freshwater ponds of Arusha
National Park; it is quite easy to see
because it reaches high population densities.
In Arusha National Park it can be
found in all wet areas from 1400 to 2400
m (the highest point we found the
species is the Giraffe pond between the
Kitoto view point and Miriakamba huts).
It is not present near the Momela lakes
as it usually avoids brackish waters.