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Care Sheet: Spotted Reed Frog (Hyperolius puncticulatus)

Common Name: Spotted Reed Frog, Golden Sedge Frog.

Scientific Name: Hyperolius puncticulatus.

Distribution: Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania.

Size: Males 20-30mm, females 30-40mm.

Sexing: The males of this species may be heard calling, this is a slow series of clicks.

Colouration: There are several colour morphs of this species. The first has a yellow or yellowish-brown dorsum, with irregular light patches over the forehead reaching across the upper eyelid and ending at the tympanum. The ventral surface in this morph is yellow, and in males this yellow fades to orange on the throat. The second morph has a uniform reddish brown dorsum with yellow, black-edged stripes of varying length, which are sometimes broken up into spots. The stripes may stretch from the tip of the snout to the upper eyelid but can often stretch all the way down to the groin. The ventral surface is orange. The third morph has a black dorsal colouration densely spotted with light yellow which sometimes join to form dorsolateral stripes. The ventrum is as in the first colour morph.

Requirements: These small agile frogs can jump over a large distance and so require a fairly large terrarium. A 15-gallon tank would be adequate for a group of 6-8 adults. They require a woodland type set-up with a substrate of bark chips, topsoil and moss. Furnishings such as logs, cork bark and sturdy thin-leafed plants can be arranged to provide a number of climbing, perching and hiding places. A small water bowl (no deeper than the frog's height at rest) must be provided with clean de-chlorinated or spring water. The water will need to be changed daily to avoid the build up of ammonia and bacteria in the water whilst changing the water it is a good idea to visually inspect the tank and remove, clean and replace any soiled items. The tank will need to be heated to a daytime temperature of 24 - 26°C with a drop at night to 20 - 22°C this can be done with an under-tank heat-mat controlled by a thermostat. It is not advisable to use spot / heat lamps with amphibians and so a separate light source should be provided by the means of a fluorescent UVB tube. Once every two-three weeks the tank and its contents should be completely cleaned and sterilised using an amphibian / reptile friendly disinfectant.

Feeding: For adults a mixture of suitably sized insects including crickets, mini-mealworm, flies, waxworm, small locust, caterpillars and moths should be fed every two-three days. A calcium and vitamin supplement should be used once weekly. Young frogs will take hatchling crickets and fruitflies, these should be fed every day and a calcium and vitamin supplement used two-three times a week.