Project Update: February 2008

To date, four visits of two weeks each have been carried out to the study site from October 2007. This has permitted us to further document the diversity and distribution of endemic amphibians on Mount Manengouba. Overall, ten more species have been recorded in the region (including 3 endemics) bringing the diversity of the region to 73 species. Among these, Cardioglossa sp. nov and Leptodactylodon erythrogaster are known only from this mountain. The former has been recorded above 2000m a.s.l. within pristine mountain forest and presently occupy a range of about 1 square kilometre.

The later, occupies a wider range in montane forest around the summit and the southern forested flanks ranging from 1500 to 2150m a.s.l. New endemics recorded during recent surveys include: Leptodactylodon ornatus, N04°59', E009°52', 1666m a.s.l. Werneria cf. bambutensis, N05°01’,E009°52’, 2096m a.s.l. Amnirana cf. asperrima, N04°52', E009°51', 628m a.s.l.. All these species are endemic along the Cameroon highlands. Human colonization of the mountain forest is fast growing from all of the flanks with advert effects on forest cover (eg. Prunus africanus harvesting and amphibian collection for consumption.