Hyperolius argus

Hyperolius argus, known under common names Argus reed frog, Argus sedge frog, and Boror reed frog (and many others) is a hyperolid frog found in the eastern coastal plain of Africa from southern Somalia through Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe to KwaZulu-Natal in eastern South Africa.[1][2]

Hyperolius argus
Hyperolius argus females

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hyperoliidae
Genus: Hyperolius
Species:
H. argus
Binomial name
Hyperolius argus
Peters, 1854
Synonyms

Hyperolius flavoviridis Peters, 1854
Hyperolius tettensis Peters, 1854
Hyperolius cinctiventris Cope, 1862
Rappia platycephalus Pfeffer, 1893
Hyperolius ahli Loveridge, 1936
Hyperolius böckii Koesen, 1968

Description

Hyperolius argus is sexually dichromatic: adult males are usually green, and females usually reddish-brown with large white spots. The coloration and pattern show geographic variation.[3]

Both females and males metamorphose to a solid green color without spots—the color of adult males. Under experimental conditions, the time from metamorphosis to the change to a female color pattern took about two months; for a male, the time from metamorphosis to the development of vocal sacs, with spontaneous vocalization and aggression, was about three months.[4]

The females attach the eggs to vegetation below the surface of the water (possibly caused by raising water level). The female can lay in total about 200 eggs in clusters of about 30 eggs.[3]

Habitat and conservation

Hyperolius argus is a common species living near water in low elevation dense, humid savanna and grassland. Breeding takes place in vegetated shallow pans, vleis and marshes, typically in temporary water.[1]

Even though this species does not face major threats, it is affected by urban expansion, agricultural intensification, and introduced species (bass).[1]

  • Female reed frogs of different patterns
  • Male reed frog
gollark: why.
gollark: Did you experience this ißue and did this fix it?
gollark: Okay, I'm going with jithe now.
gollark: Or `gifey` (GIF-ayy).
gollark: `gife` or `jife`?

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Hyperolius argus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T56112A3035065. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T56112A3035065.en.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Hyperolius argus Peters, 1854". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  3. "Hyperolius argus ". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  4. Hayes, Tyrone B.; Menendez, Karen P. (August 1999). "The effect of sex steroids on primary and secondary sex differentiation in the sexually dichromatic reedfrog (Hyperolius argus: Hyperolidae) from the Arabuko Sokoke forest of Kenya". General and Comparative Endocrinology. 115 (2): 188–199. doi:10.1006/gcen.1999.7321.
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