Conraua goliath

– Endangered

Taxonomy

Kingdom:	ANIMALIA
Phylum:	CHORDATA
Class:	AMPHIBIA
Order:	ANURA
Family:	RANIDAE
Scientific Name:	Conraua goliath
Species Authority:	(Boulenger, 1906)
Common Name/s:	GOLIATH FROG (Eng)

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria:

EN A2d+3d ver 3.1 (2001)

Year Assessed:

2004

Assessor/s:

Amiet, J.-L.

Evaluator/s:

Stuart, S., Chanson, J. & Cox, N. (Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team)

Justification:

Listed as Endangered because the number of mature individuals is believed to have declined by more than 50% over the last three generations because of harvesting for food, and it is projected to decline by a similar amount over the next three generations. A generation is assumed to be approximately five years.

History:

1986	-	Vulnerable (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
1988	-	Vulnerable (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
1990	-	Vulnerable (IUCN 1990)
1994	-	Vulnerable (Groombridge 1994)
1996	-	Vulnerable (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range

Range Description:

The world's largest frog is known only from south-western Cameroon from the region of Nkongsamba, and south to Monte Alen in mainland Equatorial Guinea. It is generally found at low to medium altitudes, below 1,000 m asl.

Range Map:

(click for detailed map)

Countries:

Native:

Cameroon; Equatorial Guinea

Uncertain presence and origin:

Gabon

Population

Population:	It has decreased significantly as a result of harvesting for food.
Population Trend:

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology:

It lives in or near fast-flowing rivers and streams in rainforest, preferring warmer, slower rivers than Conraua robusta, though faster rivers than C. crassipes. It can survive in secondary habitats close to rivers, as well as in forest, but not in very heavily degraded areas (farm bush). Breeding occurs in streams and small rivers. The young rest by flowing water during the day. Around Nkongsamba in western Cameroon, C. goliath, C. crassipes and C. robusta occur sympatrically.

System:

Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

List of Habitats:

1.6	Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland
5.1	Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
14.6	Artificial/Terrestrial - Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest

Threats

Threats:

The most important threat to this species is hunting for food, and new, sophisticated traps for catching this species are now being used in the Nkongsamba area of Cameroon. Animals are also imported from Cameroon to the USA on a regular basis by animal dealers for zoos, the pet trade and competitive frog races (one estimate of this trade is 300 animals per year). It is also adversely affected by the loss of forest habitat for agriculture, logging, and human settlements, as well as by sedimentation of its breeding streams.

List of Threats:

1.1.1.2	Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Crops - Small-holder farming (ongoing)
1.3.3.3	Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood - Clear-cutting (ongoing)
1.4.2	Habitat Loss/Degradation - Infrastructure development - Human settlement (ongoing)
3.1.1	Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Food - Subsistence use/local trade (ongoing)
3.1.2	Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Food - Sub-national/national trade (ongoing)
3.5.3	Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Cultural/scientific/leisure activities - Regional/international trade (ongoing)
6.3.7	Pollution (affecting habitat and/or species) - Water pollution - Sediment (ongoing)

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions:

It presumably occurs in several protected areas, and is confirmed from Monte Alen National Park in Equatorial Guinea. Measures are needed to work with local communities to manage the harvest at sustainable levels. A captive-breeding programme should be considered.

List of Conservation Actions:

1.3.2	Policy-based actions - Community management - Resource stewardship (in place, needed)
1.3.3	Policy-based actions - Community management - Livelihood alternatives (in place, needed)
2.2	Communication and Education - Awareness (in place, needed)
3.2	Research actions - Population numbers and range (in place, needed)
3.3	Research actions - Biology and Ecology (in place, needed)
3.4	Research actions - Habitat status (in place, needed)
3.5	Research actions - Threats (in place, needed)
3.6	Research actions - Uses and harvest levels (in place, needed)
3.8	Research actions - Conservation measures (in place, needed)
3.9	Research actions - Trends/Monitoring (in place, needed)
4.1	Habitat and site-based actions - Maintenance/Conservation (in place, needed)
4.4.1	Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Identification of new protected areas (in place, needed)
4.4.2	Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Establishment (in place, needed)
4.4.3	Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Management (in place, needed)
4.5	Habitat and site-based actions - Community-based initiatives (in place, needed)
5.3.1	Species-based actions - Sustainable use - Harvest management (in place, needed)
5.3.2	Species-based actions - Sustainable use - Trade management (in place, needed)
5.7.1	Species-based actions - Ex situ conservation actions - Captive breeding/Artificial propagation (in place, needed)

Bibliography

Bibliography:

Amiet, J.-L. 1972. Notes faunistiques, ethologistiques et ecologistiques sur quelques amphibiens anoures du Cameroun. Ann. Fac. Sci. Cameroun 9: 127-153

Amiet, J.-L. 1975. Ecologie et distribution des amphibiens anoures de la region de Nkongsamba (Cameroun). Ann. Fac. Sci. Yaounde 20: 33-107.

Amiet, J.-L. 1986. La batrachofaune sylvicole d'un secteur forestier du Cameroun: la region de Yaounde. Mem. Mus. Natnl. d'Hist. Nat., Zool. 132: 29-42.

Amiet, J.-L. and Perret, J.-L. 1969. Contributions a la faune de la region de Yaounde (Cameroun). II - Amphibiens Anoures. Ann. Fac. Sci. Cameroun 3: 117-137.

Amphibian Data. For additional documentation about utilization and CITES status, click on the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) link above to see the GAA account for this species or alternatively follow this link to the search function on the Global Amphibian Assessment web site and run your own search.

De la Riva, I. 1994. Anfibios anuros del Parque Nacional de Monte Alen, Rio Muni, Guinea Ecuatorial. Revista Espanola de Herpetologia 82: 123-139.

Gewalt, W. 1977. Einige Bemerken uber Fan, transport und Haltung des Goliathfrosches (Conrauna goliath Boulenger). D. Zool. Garten N.F. Jena 47: 161-192.

Groombridge, B. (ed.) 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Herrmann, H-W., Böhme, W., Herrmann, P.A., Plath, M., Schmitz, A. and Solbach, M. 2005. African Biodiversity Hotspots: the amphibians of Mt. Nlonako, Cameroon. Salamandra 41(1/2): 61-81.

IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1986. 1986 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1988. 1988 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Joger, U. 1982. Zur Herpetofaunistik Kameruns (II). Bonner Zoologische Beiträege 33: 313-342.

Lamotte, M. and Perret, J.-L. 1968. Revision du genre Conraua Nieden. Bull. Inst. Fond. Afr. Noire 30A(4): 1603-1644.

Lamotte, M., Perret, J.-L. and Dzieduszycka, S. 1959. Contribution a l'etude des batraciens de l'ouest Africain. IX. Les formes larvaires de Petropedetes palmipes, Conraua goliath et Acanthixalus spinosus. Bull. Inst. Fond. d'Afr. Noire (A)21(2): 762-776.

Lasso, C.A., Rial, A.I., Castroviejo, J. and De La Riva, I. 2002. Herpetofauna del Parque Nacional de Monte Alen (Rio Muni, Guinea Ecuatorial). Graellsia 58: 21-34.

Pawley, R. 1987. The management of the goliath frog, Conraua goliath: a goliath problem?. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 22: 96-97.

Perret, J.-L. 1957. Observations sur Rana goliath Boulenger. Bulletin de la Societe Neuchateloise des Sciences Naturelles 80: 98-101.

Perret, J.-L. 1960. Etudes herpetologiques africaines II. Bulletin de la Societe Neuchateloise des Sciences Naturelles 83: 93-100.

Perret, J.-L. 1966. Les Amphibiens du Cameroun. Zool. Jahrb. Syst. 8: 289-464.

Perret, J.-L. 1987. Observations on Rana goliath Boulenger. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 22: 98-101.

Perret, J.-L. and Mertens, R. 1957. Etude d'une collection herpetoogique faite au Cameroun de 1952 a 1955. Bull. Inst. Fond. Afr. Noire (A)19: 548-601.

Sabater-Pi, J. 1962. La rana goliat; aportacion a suestudio. Zoo, Revista del Parque de Barcelona 1: 23-25.

Sabater-Pi, J. 1967. Notas sobre la ecologia de la rana gigante de Rio Muni (Conraua goliath, Boulenger). Zoo, Revista del Parque de Barcelona 7: 24-25.

Sabater-Pi, J. 1985. Contribution to the biology of the giant frog (Conraua goliath, Boulenger). Amphibia-Reptilia 6: 143-153.

Citation:	Amiet, J.-L. 2004. Conraua goliath. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 May 2008.
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