Amphibian Conservation Needs Assessments

Assessment Results

Microbatrachella capensis

Cape Flats Frog

Order: Anura Family: Pyxicephalidae

Synonym(s):

Assessed for: South Africa on: 18 Dec 2024 by: AArk/ASG Southern Africa Workshop

Authors: Oliver Angus, Andrew Turner, John Measey, Keir Lynch, Josh Weeber, Krystal Tolley

IUCN Global Red List: Critically Endangered (CR)

National Red List: (not assessed)

Distribution: South Africa

Evolutionary Distinctiveness score: 15.48397331

AmphibiaWeb species account

IUCN Red List assessment

Recommended Conservation Actions:

Rescue

, In Situ Conservation

, In Situ Research

, Conservation Education

, Biobanking

Additional Comments:

Question #	Short Name	Question Text	Response	Comments
1	Extinction risk	Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.]	Endangered (EN)
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
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?	No / unlikely	Most species occur in severely fragmented patches that are too far apart for dispersal within one generation.
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?	Yes / probably	Agulhas National Park is the only statutory protected area in which this species occurs, although it is also present in various other local authority and private nature reserves.
6	Previous reintroductions	Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species?	Yes, successfully	Due to ongoing decline in the extent and quality of habitat, the population is decreasing at the localities of Betty's Bay and Kleinmond; there has been a successful translocation at the former locality that has increased their distribution in the local area. Reintroductions failed into Rondevlei Nature Preserve, perhaps because there were not enough individuals.
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	Breeding activity has been monitored in recent years; some translocation efforts have also been successful.
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	Additional habitat protection is needed in view of the species’ fragmented distribution. It has become clear that mitigating the effects of invasive alien plants, improving fire regimes, and limiting grazing from livestock, improves calling densities of these frogs.
9	In situ research	Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.?	Yes	Continued with the systematic monitoring of breeding activity by estimating the number of calling frogs at the breeding sites for this species. This also helps to quantify the impact of invasive clearing operations. Resolution of the taxonomic status and resultant conservation implications of the disjunct populations will be useful.
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 unlikely to be reversed in time to prevent further decline / extinction	This species will very likely be highly reliant on translocations (from areas being drained to protected areas) in the future. This species relies on lowland flooded areas, but most have been drained for development and agriculture; infestation of invasive trees has been rampant (leading to an alteration in water quality and the drying out of breeding pools).
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
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?	No / unlikely	This species is monotypic, so an analog would likely not work.
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	This species is monotypic, so would likely not be a useful analog.
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	Extremely tiny species; can be very pretty (lots of colors).
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
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)?	Yes

Citation: Oliver Angus, Andrew Turner, John Measey, Keir Lynch, Josh Weeber, Krystal Tolley 2024. Conservation Needs Assessment for Microbatrachella capensis, South Africa (AArk/ASG Southern Africa Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/7146 Accessed 27 Jan 2025