{{short description|Species of frog}} {{speciesbox | image = | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group |date=2013 |title=''Hyperolius sylvaticus'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T56211A18384172 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T56211A18384172.en |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> | taxon = Hyperolius sylvaticus | authority = Schiøtz, 1967 | synonyms = }}
'''''Hyperolius sylvaticus''''' is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in southern Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, and western Cameroon,<ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021" /><ref name=Frost/><ref name="African Amphibians"/><ref name=AmphibiaWeb/><ref name="Hillers et al. 2009"/> with a (perhaps apparent) gap in Benin. It is also likely to occur in Liberia.<ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021" /> Common name '''Bobiri reed frog''' has been coined for this species<ref name=Frost/><ref name="African Amphibians"/> (this name could also refer to ''Hyperolius bobirensis''<ref name="Frost Hyperolius bobirensis"/>).
==Taxonomy== ''Hyperolius sylvaticus'' was described by Danish herpetologist Arne Schiøtz in 1967, using material from the Bobiri Forest Reserve (Ghana) as the types. He also described two subspecies, ''Hyperolius sylvaticus ivorensis'' from Ivory Coast and ''Hyperolius sylvaticus nigeriensis'' from Nigeria and Cameroon, in addition to the nominotypical subspecies.<ref name=Frost/><ref name="African Amphibians"/><ref name=AmphibiaWeb/>
==Description== ''Hyperolius sylvaticus'' is a small-sized member of its genus, with males measuring {{convert|20|–|29|mm|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|26|–|31|mm|abbr=on}} in snout–vent length. Males have a tiny, round gular flap. The pupil is horizontal. There are two colour phases. All juveniles and many mature males display phase "J", which is typically brownish to green and has a dorsal hourglass pattern. All females, and some males, develop into phase "F" prior to the first breeding season. This phase is often colorful and variable.<ref name="African Amphibians"/><ref name=AmphibiaWeb/>
Body size and dorsal patterning differs between the subspecies. The nominotypical subspecies has coherent dorsal hourglass pattern (phase J) and undelimited, light dorsolateral stripe (phase F). In ''Hyperolius s. ivorensis'' and ''Hyperolius s. nigeriensis'' the hourglass pattern is broken mid-dorsally. In addition, ''Hyperolius s. nigeriensis'' are larger and have a dark, well delimited area behind eye (phase J) and a broad, dark-delimited dorsolateral stripe (phase F).<ref name="African Amphibians"/><ref name=AmphibiaWeb/>
Male advertisement call is a series of brief metallic "clicks"; it is not known whether there are differences among the subspecies.<ref name="African Amphibians"/><ref name=AmphibiaWeb/>
==Habitat and conservation== ''Hyperolius sylvaticus'' occurs in lowland moist forests as well as in degraded forests and bush land. Breeding takes place in temporary forest ponds. The eggs are placed on leaves above water; the tadpoles fall into the water after hatching.<ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021" />
''Hyperolius sylvaticus'' is an abundant species. It is somewhat adaptable, but does not tolerate complete opening up of its habitat. This makes is vulnerable to habitat change from agricultural expansion and increasing human settlements.<ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021" /> It occurs in the Bobiri Forest Reserve and Kakum National Park in Ghana,<ref name="Hillers et al. 2009"/> Taï National Park in Ivory Coast, and Korup National Park in Cameroon, presumably in other protected areas too.<ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021" />
==References== {{Reflist|30em|refs= <ref name="African Amphibians">{{cite web |url=http://africanamphibians.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/1429 |title=''Hyperolius sylvaticus'' Schiøtz, 1967 |author= |year= |work=African Amphibians |access-date=25 November 2016}}</ref>
<ref name=AmphibiaWeb>{{cite web |url=http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Hyperolius&where-species=sylvaticus |title=''Hyperolius sylvaticus'' |year=2008 |work=AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application] |publisher=Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb |access-date=25 November 2016}}</ref>
<ref name=Frost>{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Anura/Hyperoliidae/Hyperolius/Hyperolius-sylvaticus |title=''Hyperolius sylvaticus'' Schiøtz, 1967 |author=Frost, Darrel R. |year=2016 |work=Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=25 November 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="Frost Hyperolius bobirensis">{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Anura/Hyperoliidae/Hyperolius/Hyperolius-bobirensis |title=''Hyperolius bobirensis'' Schiøtz, 1967 |author=Frost, Darrel R. |year=2016 |work=Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=25 November 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="Hillers et al. 2009">{{cite journal|last1=Hillers|first1=Annika|last2=Boateng|first2=Caleb Ofori|last3=Segniagbeto|first3=Gabriel Hoinsoudé|last4=Agyei|first4=Alex Cudjoe|last5=Rödel|first5=Mark-Oliver|title=Assessment of the amphibians in the forests of southern Ghana and western Togo|journal=Zoosystematics and Evolution|date=2009|volume=85|issue=1|pages=127–141|doi=10.1002/zoos.200800019}}</ref> }}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1944061}}
sylvaticus Category:Frogs of Africa Category:Amphibians of Cameroon Category:Amphibians of West Africa Category:Amphibians described in 1967 Category:Taxa named by Arne Schiøtz Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot