The Herpetological Journal

pp.7-12

Authors: Malcolm J. Largen

Abstract: Provisionally, 60 named species of amphibian are recognized in Ethiopia, of which 14 have been described since 1970. Six genera and 23 species are currently listed as endemic, the great majority of these being clearly associated with montane forest, grassland or moorland at altitudes above 1800 m. The Ethiopian Plateau has evidently provided a refuge for some taxa which have a relict distribution in the mountains of Africa and a major centre for occupation and adaptive radiation by others. Huge areas of Ethiopia remain to be explored biologically and it seems certain that future fieldwork will substantially increase the number of amphibian species recorded. Meanwhile, as destruction of natural habitats by an ever-growing human population becomes increasingly widespread, it is inevitably the threat to montane and forest endemics which gives greatest cause for concern.