Afrixalus Fornasini!!!!!!!!!

[StephenLS]

I know it's a bit of a long shot but does anybody have any experience with these to pass on?

I've got four, I know they're related to Reed Frogs and that there is very little difference between male and female - can anyone provide any other info?


Ta


Steve

[tgampper]

Stephen:

Afrixalus fornasinii is a beautiful frog and I am very envious that you were able to get 4 of them. I have some experience with reed frogs but not the leaf-folding frogs. There are little differences between males and females. Males have a yellow gular disc on the throat.

SVL: < 40 mm

Their call is a burst of loud, repeated clack sounds, preceded by a short, soft buzz. I do have a recording of it.

By the way, it is easy to tell the difference between reed frogs (Hyperolius) and leaf-folding frogs (Afrixalus) - reed frogs have horizontally elliptical pupils and leaf-folding frogs have vertically elliptical pupils.

These frogs are often called banana frogs, and live in areas of dense vegetation around coastal swamps and streams. Banana leaves provide an excellent resting place and hibernaculum. Plants in the terrarium should be sturdy as these are heavier frogs.

Eggs are laid out of the water on a leaf near the top of the plant (1 meter or more above the water surface). She will lay up to 40 eggs in the leaf, the margins of the leaf are glued together to protect the eggs. Eggs are white and about 2 mm in diameter. When the eggs hatch they fall into the water where development continues. Metamorphosis takes place in about 90 days.

Good luck with your new additions Keep us informed of your progress!

[StephenLS]

Thanks for that Terry. I only got them a week ago - haven't heard any calling yet and they're quite secretive - I'll have to wrestle them out of their tank and see if I can spot any differences!

There's been an influx of all sorts of species from Madagascar and Africa in the UK recently (Boophis species for example), it's mighty tempting to get the old Mastercard out!

[Jayne Irlam]

Hi Stephen,
I have three Afrixalus Fornasinii and have found that their secretive nature is one of the most challenging aspects of their care. It took me ages to figure out how to tempt them into the open so I don't know if the following tips will be of help to you. Mine do not seem to like infra red night light, although all my other species are happy with it. They prefer total darkness, but this doesn't help when it comes to viewing them! So now I keep their viv just far enough away from an infra red source so that they feel secure, but I can still see their outlines, and that way they scamper around at night.

They also like plenty of cover and a good misting in the early evening, and playing the sound of their species calling on the internet seems to get the males coming out to investigate. They spend lots of time sleeping, so a reptile hide which allows you to view the animals inside (there are a couple on the market) is a good investment. They are masters at slipping around the viv undetected, but when you do see them, they are extremely beautiful and graceful.

If you want to breed them, the girls can be choosy about the kind of leaves they will use to fold over to make their nurseries, so you might have to try offering the little madams a few different types. Mine have folded artificial silk leaves, but had difficulty sticking the edges together. Natural might be best.

Let me know how you are getting on with yours.

All the best,
Jayne