Preliminary Data on Amphibian Diversity of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (RFO) in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Amphibians are poorly known in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (RFO) in DRC, and amphibians are identified as one of the most threatened animal taxa among vertebrates living on Earth. The aim of this study was to inventory amphibians in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. To do this, amphibians were caught by hand during the day (between 06:00–08:00 hrs) and at night (between 18:00–20:00 hrs). All specimens were photographed, labelled, and preserved in ethanol (70%). Specimens were located by sight and sound. In two sessions of 10 days each, 692 specimens were caught, representing 53 species, 17 genera and 11 families. All the inventoried species belong to the Order Anura. Several specimens could not be identified to species. The family representation included Hyperoliidae (159 specimens: 22.97%), Pyxicephalidae (8 specimens (1.15%)), Arthroleptidae (54 individuals: 7.80%), Rhacophoridae (2 specimens: 0.28%), Hemisotidae (34 specimens: 4.91%), Dicroglossidae (123 specimens: 17.77%), Ranidae (174 individuals: 25.14%), Phrynobatrachidae (3 individuals: 0.43%), Ptychadenidae (22 specimens: 3.17%), Bufonidae (45 specimens: 6.5%) and Pipidae (68 individuals: 9.82%). The results of this research are preliminary, but they are very interesting because they will allow the Reserve authorities to know the amphibians of the RFO and to have a scientific basis for a possible drafting or implementation of the conservation plan and the protection of wetlands.