This species ranges from western Ethiopia, southern Sudan and northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, through Uganda, Kenya and southern Somalia, south to central Mozambique and Zimbabwe. There is an apparently isolated population in KwaZulu-Natal, eastern South Africa, and in extreme southern Mozambique. It might occur in northern Botswana and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, but the respective distributions of this species and Hyperolius nasutus are not well known. It is likely to range further west through the Central African Republic and southern Chad, but there are no records from these countries, and the respective distributions of this species and Hyperolius igbettensis (known from Cameroon westwards) are very poorly known. It occurs from sea level up to 2,000m asl in Ethiopia, and 2,286m asl in Malawi.

H. acuticeps occurs in the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Somalia, extending southward to South Africa (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater

This species inhabits the Savanna and Grassland biomes (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Predators include various birds, snakes, terrapins, spiders and other frogs, while prey consists mainly of flying insects (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Within five days of being hatched tadpoles leave the egg capsule (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Males call from elevated positions, near the tops of sedges and reeds, and frequently engage in territorial disputes (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

H. acuticeps breeding takes place in the wet season, in shallow coastal pans, vleis and inundated grassland with dense, emergent and or littoral vegetation (Poynton 1964; Lambiris 1989; Passmore and Carruthers 1995; pers.obs.). Females deposit 60–292 eggs, in groups of 2–20, on submerged leaves or roots (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Specimens with Barcodes: 1
Species With Barcodes: 1

H. acuticeps is considered Least Concern. A major threat to this species is habitat loss through the drainage of wetlands for agricultural and urban development (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Conservation Actions