Assessment Results
Aubria subsigillata
Brown Fishing Frog, Brown Ball Frog, West African Brown Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Pyxicephalidae
Synonym(s):
Rana subsigillata
Assessed for:
Ghana
on:
24 Sep 2021
by:
AArk/ASG Ghana Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Adum, G., Kouamé, N.G., Ofori-Boateng, C. and Penner, J.
IUCN Global Red List:
Least Concern (LC)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
38.07322967
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Least Concern (LC) | Listed as Least Concern in view of its relatively wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification and its presumed large population. |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value 20 - 50 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | Yes / probably | It occurs in several protected areas including Sui River and Atewa Forest Reserves, Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary and Boi Tano National Park. It has also been found in Ebonloa Forest (C. Ofori-Boateng, pers. comm. September 2021). |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | No / unlikely | Although this species widespread in Ghana, it is not known from very many locations (G. Adum, pers. comm., September 2021). It occurs in Sui River and Atewa Forest Reserves, Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary and Boi Tano National Park. It has also been found in the small community Ebonloa Forest (C. Ofori-Boateng, pers. comm. September 2021). In Atewa Forest Reserve it is known from ca. 700-750 m asl (C. Ofori-Boateng, pers. comm. September 2021). |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | Yes / probably | It occurs in several protected areas. |
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | Yes / probably | The main priority will be the protection of its water habitats. Additional secondary actions required include ongoing and improved management of protected areas including forest restoration, enforcement of protected area boundaries, the provision of livelihood alternatives for locals to reducing mining activities, and additional resource provision for the protection of existing protected areas [e.g. equipment such as cars and fuel provision] (G. Adum and J. Penner pers. comm. September 2021). |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Further research is required on its distribution and population. |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | It lives in swamps or along small streams in lowland rainforest, gallery forest and degraded secondary habitats (farm bush) in the forest zone. It is an adaptable species, which is dependent on swampy areas, however it is unlikely to tolerate the complete opening up of the habitat (G. Adum and J. Penner, pers. comm., September 2021). Any pollution of these water bodies will have a detrimental effect on this species (J. Penner, pers. comm., September 2021). Agricultural pollution from pesticides and chemicals used in mining (e.g. cyanide and quicksilver) are a threat throughout its range (J. Penner, pers. comm., September 2021). There is a need for perennial ponds, which can be quite rare, and are threatened by the development of roads (C. Ofori-Boateng, pers. comm. September 2021). This species does not exist outside of forests (N.G. Kouamé, pers. comm., September 2021). Multiple threats currently exist in the Sui River Forest Reserve. Large-scale selective logging (both legally and illegally) and deforestation for cacao plantations (G. Adum, pers. comm., September 2021) - in 2021, the government allowed 15 ha of the 333.9 km² Sui River Forest Reserve to be cleared (G. Adum and J. Penner, pers. comm., September 2021). Other threats include the use of agrochemicals and subsequent pollution of waterways, encroachment due to over-population, wildfires as a result of slash and burn activities and the spread of the invasive weed (Chromolaena odorata), (Ghana RLA/CNA assessment workshop, 2021). The removal of raffia or bamboo plants is also a problem (G. Adum, pers. comm., September 2021). |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Yes / probably | Little information is available on its abundance. It is not thought to be a common species (J. Penner, pers. comm., September 2021). It has been found twice in two separate locations in the Sui River Forest Reserve and it is an elusive, aquatic species (G. Adum, pers. comm., September 2021). There have never been more the three individuals found in Ghana at any one time, likely due to their behaviour, and being under water most of the time (C. Ofori-Boateng, pers. comm. September 2021). |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | |
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | No / unlikely | |
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | Yes / probably | |
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Not held in captivity to date | |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | Yes | This is a large species, and although elusive, it has good educational potential (Ghana RLA/CNA assessment workshop, 2021). |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Yes / probably | Specimens could be collected but this would require considerable effort (Ghana RLA/CNA assessment workshop, 2021). |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | No | Research into species validity needs to be prioritised. J.-L. Perret and M.-O. Rödel (pers. comm.) do not accept the synonymy of Aubria occidentalis with A. subsigillata, and we follow this view here. Ohler (1996) stated that further analysis of larger samples of specimens might lead to the subdivision of A. subsigillata, in which case the name A. occidentalis would be available for western populations. |
Citation:
Adum, G., Kouamé, N.G., Ofori-Boateng, C. and Penner, J. 2021. Conservation Needs Assessment for Aubria subsigillata, Ghana
(AArk/ASG Ghana Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/6914
Accessed 08 Feb 2025
