Frog Diversity in Chebera Churchura National Park, South-Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Amphibians are threatened globally by habitat loss and emerging diseases, yet information on their diversity and distribution remains scarce in many regions. Ethiopia is renowned for its rich anuran diversity, but little is known about the diversity and abundance of anurans in Chebera Churchura National Park (CCNP). We conducted surveys from June 2022 to April 2024 along transects in various habitats during both dry and wet seasons. Methods included visual encounter surveys, acoustic monitoring, opportunistic observations, and pitfall traps with drift fences. Species identification was primarily based on morphology and subsequently validated through genetic barcoding using mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequence analysis for five species. A total of 2175 individuals were recorded, representing 16 species from 8 families. The families Bufonidae and Ptychadenidae were the most dominant. Riverine forest habitats exhibited the highest anuran diversity, followed by montane forest, woodland, and savannah grassland. These findings underscore the importance of CCNP as a refuge for Ethiopian anuran species and the need for further research into the park’s unexplored areas.