Phrynobatrachus mababiensis
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Phrynobatrachus mababiensis or the Mababe puddle frog is a species of frog in the family Phrynobatrachidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, possibly Ethiopia, possibly Sudan, and possibly Uganda.
It is found most commonly in subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, rivers, swampland, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes.
It is able to survive in agricultural lands, rural gardens, water storage areas, ponds, seasonally flooded agricultural land, and canals and ditches. The Mababe puddle frog is a common and widespread species an adaptable species.
There are no reports of it being harvested and is not facing any significant threats. Media related to Phrynobatrachus mababiensis at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
Zimbabwe · 2024
© Kurt van Wyk · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Namibia · 2007
© probreviceps · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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South Africa · 2021
© magdastlucia · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mababe puddle frog sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 22 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mababe puddle frog in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mababe puddle frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Mababe puddle frog sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Anura
The closest relatives of the Mababe puddle frog that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are Painted Reed Frog (about 50%), Tinker Reed Frog (about 40%) and Natal Forest Tree Frog (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mababe puddle frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
