Afrixalus fornasini
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Afrixalus fornasini is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae and is native to Africa. Its common name is Fornasini's spiny reed frog or the greater leaf-folding frog The specific epithet fornasini is in honour of Italian amateur naturalist Carlo Antonio Fornasini, who collected the type specimen.
It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa and possibly Eswatini. Its natural habitats are temperate forest, subtropical or tropical dry forest, dry savanna, moist savanna, temperate shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, water storage areas, and ponds.
The species is threatened in some parts of its range by habitat loss, but in general it is not very rare, and in some places common. Both male and female Afrixalus fornasinii adults prey on grey foam-nest tree frog eggs and tadpoles. This species is the first African anuran to demonstrate hetero-cannibalism by preying on eggs belonging to the same family. Wikipedia →
Recording0:03
Tanzania · 2014
© probreviceps · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:24
South Africa · 2025
© Bruce Surmon · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:03
Malawi · 2024
© Tim Brammer · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Fornasini's Spiny Reed Frog sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 5 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Fornasini's Spiny Reed Frog in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May to January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fornasini's Spiny Reed Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Fornasini's Spiny Reed Frog sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fornasini's Spiny Reed Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (5 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.
