Herpetology Notes, volume 15: 437-441 (2022) (published online on 18 June 2022)

Frogs of Toho Lagoon (Ramsar Site 1017), Ouidah

Municipality, Republic of Bénin, West Africa

Houénafa A.C. Gansa1,*, Hyppolite Agadjihouèdé1,2, Mahugnon B. Hounkanrin1, and Mark-Oliver Rödel3

Abstract. Knowledge about national biodiversity is a necessary baseline for any conservation strategy and management. In the
present study we assess the amphibian diversity of Toho Lagoon (Ramsar Site 1017) in Ouidah Municipality, southern Republic
of Bénin. We searched for amphibians at two marshy sites, Bazounkpa and Amoulécodji, using visual and acoustic encounter
surveys. We recorded 14 anuran species, of which the most abundant was Phrynobatrachus latifrons. The recorded fauna was a
mixture of species typically living in moist savannah and/or degraded forest areas of West Africa. The fauna was dominated by
aquatic species and species living in low vegetation, while terrestrial anurans were represented by comparatively few species.
Species needing taller vegetation (trees) were absent, as were fossorial species. Most recorded species are widely distributed in
Africa and all of them are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Key words. Amphibia, Anura, diversity, marshy vegetation, Pahou

Résumé. La connaissance de la biodiversité nationale est une base nécessaire pour toute stratégie de conservation et de gestion.
La présente étude visait à évaluer la diversité des amphibiens de la Lagune Toho (Site Ramsar 1017), dans la Commune de
Ouidah, dans le sud du Bénin. Dans la végétation marécageuse des sites Bazounkpa et Amoulécodji, nous avons appliqué la
méthode d’échantillonnage des amphibienspar rencontre visuelle et acoustique. Nous avons enregistré 14 espèces d’anoures,
parmi lesquelles Phrynobatrachus latifrons était la plus abondante. La faune enregistrée était un mélange d’espèces vivant
typiquement dans les savanes humides et/ou les zones forestières dégradées d’Afrique de l’Ouest. La faune était dominée par des
espèces aquatiques et des espèces vivant dans une végétation basse. Les anoures terrestres étaient représentés que par un nombre
relativement faible d’espèces. Les espèces nécessitant une végétation plus élevée (arbres) étaient absentes, tout comme les espèces
fouisseuses. La plupart des espèces enregistrées sont largement distribuées en Afrique et toutes sont de préoccupation mineure la
méthode d’échantillonnage des amphibiens.

Introduction regions in Bénin with international conservation value

that have been designated Ramsar sites (i.e., sites of
Dedicated amphibian assessments have only been
international importance for water and migratory birds).
undertaken in three areas in the Republic of Bénin thus
One of these regions is the Lower Couffo Valley complex,
far: the Pendjari National Park in northern Bénin (Nago
Coastal Lagoon, Aho Channel, and Lake Ahémé, which
et al., 2006), and, in southern Bénin, the Lokoli swamp
together comprise Ramsar Site 1017. According to the
forest (Rödel et al., 2007) and the semi-deciduous Lama
Ramsar Convention, it is required that Bénin protect
Forest (Ullenbruch, 2003). There are four wetland
the species occurring at these sites, particularly those in
danger of extinction. However, the lack of data makes
sustainable conservation activities difficult for the
1
Unit of Aquaculture Research and Fisheries Management, Bénin government to implement (MEPN, 2009). So far
Laboratory of Fisheries and Animal Sciences, National only one study, commissioned by the FAO (2018) and
University of Agriculture, BP 43, Kétou, Republic of Bénin.
aiming at restoring the mangrove ecosystems, has been
2
Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Aquaculture, Faculty of
Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP
conducted across Ramsar Site 1017, including Toho
526, Cotonou, Republic of Bénin. Lagoon. This study recorded the presence of 24 frog
3
Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution species. However, that study did not include a species
and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, list and no other evidence allowing the verification of
Germany. the recorded species. Considering this lack of data on
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: gansaaime@gmail.com the frog community inhabiting Toho Lagoon, we set out
© 2022 by Herpetology Notes. Open Access by CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. to systematically document its diversity.
438 Houénafa A.C. Gansa et al.

Material and methods 1) through the marshy vegetation of both Bazounkpa

and Amoulécodji. Frogs were identified visually in the
Study area. Our inventory was carried out in Ouidah
field or collected for later identification, with species
Municipality, Atlantique Department, southern Bénin, at
identification also based on advertisement calls. For
Toho Lagoon (Fig. 1). The lagoon is an inland body of
unknown advertisement calls, the respective individuals
water comprising five narrow arms, with a surface area
were searched for and identified in the field or collected
of 16 km2 (centred at 6.3983°N, 2.2154°E). The study
for later identification. Collected individuals were taken
site borders the Atlantic Ocean in the south and is flanked
to the laboratory where they were photographed, and all
by the Communes of Abomey-Calavi, Grand-Popo,
individuals were returned to their original site of capture.
Kpomassè, and Tori-Bossito in the east, west, and north,
Identification was based on published descriptions
respectively. Its climate is that of the Sudano-Guinean
(Channing and Rödel, 2019; Rödel, 2000) or direct
vegetation zone, with two rainy and two dry seasons of
identifications from photographs.
unequal duration per year. Average annual rainfall ranges
Abundance. The number of species and individuals for
from 950–1150 mm, while mean daily temperatures vary
each species were recorded during each sampling event.
from 24–30°C (Capo-Chichi, 2006). Our sampling was
Sampling effort was measured as the number of people
conducted at two localities: Amoulécodji and Bazounkpa
searching per day. We also calculated relative abundance,
(Fig. 2). The natural vegetation at these two sites consists
expressed as the proportion of individuals of each species
of herbal savannah, meadow, and marshy vegetation
of the total number of individuals of all species.
(Typha sp., Pistia stratiotes, Thalia sp., Lasimorpha
senegalensis, Cyperus papyrus; Capo-Chichi, 2006).
Results
Frog inventory. We searched for frogs from April–
July 2021, which encompasses the rainy season. We used We recorded 14 frog species from eight genera in seven
visual (VES) and acoustic (AES) encounter sampling, families (Table 2) during 35 person-hours of searching
which are an efficient survey method for most frogs (e.g., (Table 1). The Phrynobatrachidae was the family with
Rödel and Ernst, 2004). Surveys were carried out during the most recorded species. Few species were terrestrial,
the day (07:00–08:00 h) and night (21:00–23:00 h) and with most species either aquatic or semi-aquatic (e.g.,
consisted of a 1-h walk by one or two observers (Table Phrynobatrachus latifrons always occurred at the

Figure 1. Map of the Toho Lagoon area in southern Benin. The upper small map shows Benin with the Atlantique Department
in purple. In the lower small map, Ouidah Municipality is marked in purple. On the main map, the five arms of the lagoon are
shown in blue.
Frogs of Toho Lagoon, Republic of Bénin, West Africa 439

Figure 2. Typical vegetation at sampling sites in Toho Lagoon, Ouidah Municipality, southern Bénin. (A) Amoulécodji. (B)
Bazounkpa. Photos by Houénafa A.C. Gansa.

water’s edge), or inhabiting the understorey. No arboreal The fauna at both sites consisted of a mixture of species
(e.g., Leptopelis spp.) or fossorial (Hemisus spp.) species usually inhabiting West African savannah and/or farmbush
were recorded. All recorded species either have a West habitats (degraded forest habitats sensu Schiøtz, 1967)
African distribution or are even more widely distributed (Table 2). Species of the genera Hyperolius, Afrixalus,
in sub-Saharan Africa; none are listed in any IUCN and Phrynobatrachus were the most abundant (Fig. 3).
threat category.
Discussion
Our survey revealed a relatively depauperate frog
Table 1. Sampling effort (person-hours) on specific
sampling dates at Amoulécodji and Bazounkpa,
community at Toho Lagoon, comprising fewer species
Toho Lagoon, Bénin. than the previous, undocumented report listed from the
area (FAO, 2018). A similarly small number of species
was found in a swampy, coastal site in Ghana (13 species;
Date Amoulécodji Bazounkpa
Raxworthy and Attuquayefio, 2000). Within Bénin, in
16 Apr 2021 2 1 the semi-deciduous Lama Forest, and even in the small
3 May 2021 1 2 area of the Lokoli swamp forest, more amphibian species
15 May 2021 1 2 have been recorded (24 and 17 species, respectively;
Ullenbruch, 2003; Rödel et al., 2007). Similarly, 32
20 May 2021 1 1
amphibian species have been recorded from the savannah
24 May 2021 2 1 area of Pendjari National Park (Nago et al., 2006). The
25 May 2021 1 2 anuran species richness and composition at Toho Lagoon
12 Jun 2021 1 1 is comparable to what Oungbe et al. (2018) recorded
in three agro-industrial sites in Côte d’Ivoire, although
21 Jun 2021 2 1
these authors recorded more forest species than in the
15 Jul 2021 1 1 present study. Other, forested areas in the eastern part
18 Jul 2021 1 2 of the Upper Guinea forest zone usually hold a much
19 Jul 2021 1 1 higher frog species richness (e.g., Rödel and Ernst, 2004;
Rödel et al., 2005; Assemian et al., 2006). Even in highly
21 Jul 2021 2 1
degraded forests in the Niger Delta, 28 amphibian species
22 Jul 2021 1 2 were recorded (Akani et al., 2004).
440 Houénafa A.C. Gansa et al.

Table 2. Frog species recorded at Amoulécodji (AM) and Bazounkpa (BA) in Toho Lagoon, Ouidah Metropolitan Area, Bénin.
Presence (+) and absence (–) is indicated for each species in each of the habitat types. The habitat types are savannah (SA) and
farmbush (FB; degraded forest and swamps in the forest zone). The mode of living (ML) is aquatic (AQ), terrestrial (TE), or
arboreal (AB; including lower vegetation). The IUCN Red List conservation status of all recorded species is Least Concern.

Species AM BA SA FB ML

Bufonidae
Sclerophrys maculata (Hallowell, 1854) + – + + T

Dicroglossidae
Hoplobatrachus occipitalis (Günther, 1858) + + + + A

Pyxicephalidae
Aubria subsigillata (Duméril, 1856) – + – + A

Phrynobatrachidae
Phrynobatrachus latifrons Ahl, 1924 + + + + A/T

Ptychadenidae
Ptychadena mascareniensis (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) complex + + – + T
Ptychadena oxyrhynchus (Smith, 1849) + + + + T
Ptychadena pumilio (Boulenger, 1920) + + + + T

Hyperoliidae
Afrixalus dorsalis (Peters, 1875) + + + + AB
Afrixalus vittiger (Peters, 1876) + + + – AB
Afrixalus weidholzi (Mertens, 1938) + + + – AB
Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell, 1844) + + + + AB
Hyperolius igbettensis Schiøtz, 1963 + + + – AB
Hyperolius fusciventris Peters, 1876 + + – + AB

Pipidae
*
Xenopus fischbergi Evans et al., 2015 + + + – A
* identification based on the absence of a forth black claw on foot.

The encountered species are mostly those that have their
main distribution in savannah and/or degraded habitats of
the West African forest zone. It was particularly striking
that we recorded no species requiring trees, such as
Leptopelis spiritusnoctis and L. viridis. These species
are usually present in degraded habitats (e.g., Rödel and
Glos, 2019). The amphibians of the Ghanaian Lagoon,
mentioned above, also comprised almost exclusively
savannah frogs (Raxworthy and Attuquayefio, 2000).
It was surprising that we found Xenopus fischbergi, a
species thus far only known from more northern savannah
habitats (reported as X. muelleri – Rödel, 2000; Evans
et al., 2015; Channing and Rödel, 2019), co-occurring
with Aubria subsigillata, which is predominantly known
from swamp forests and rainforest streams (Ohler and
Kazadi, 1990; Perret, 1994; Ohler, 1996; Rödel et al.,
2005; Assemian et al., 2006). In summary, however,
the recorded anuran fauna is typical of open, savannah-
like and/or degraded forest habitats, comprising
predominately habitat generalist and widespread species,
none of which are threatened.
Although Toho Lagoon plays a vital role in bird
protection (MEPN, 2009), frogs should only be of minor
importance in conservation planning at this site, even if
further research reveals additional species. In particular,
we expect Phrynobatrachus francisci, P. natalensis,
Leptopelis spiritusnoctis, L. viridis, Hyperolius nitidulus,
Kassina senegalensis, and Hemisus marmoratus to
occur at this site as well, at least in some parts of the area
that are drier and have some trees and shrubs.
Frogs of Toho Lagoon, Republic of Bénin, West Africa 441
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Oungbe, K.V., Adeba, P.J., Blahoua, K.G., N’douba, V. (2018):
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