Afrixalus vibekensis Schiøtz 1967

A small West African forest Afrixalus (males 19-23 mm, females 23-27 mm) with yellowish white dorsum, with a darker or lighter brown pattern of a constant shape. The males lack asperities (Schiøtz 1999).The form was originally described as a subspecies of the central African A. laevis (Schiøtz 1967), but the differences between the two seem to warrant specific separation. The characteristic pattern of A. vibekae is thus only found in very few of the otherwise very variable A. laevis and the voice is different (Schiøtz 1999).The forest-living species A. laevis, A. lacteus, and A. uluguruensis are similar and possibly closely related (Schiøtz 1999).This account was taken from "Treefrogs of Africa" by Arne Schiøtz with kind permission from Edition Chimaira publishers, Frankfurt am Main, and updated by A. Schiøtz, 2008.

This species has been recorded from several disjunct localities in West African forest. In western Côte d'Ivoire it has been found on Mt. Nimba (bordering Guinea and Liberia, from which this species has not yet been reported) (Schiøtz 1967). It also occurs in Taï National Park and Haute Dodo Classified Forest in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire (Rödel 2000, Rödel and Branch 2002). In southwest Ghana it has been reported from Bobiri Forest Reserve (Schiøtz 1967).

This frog is quiet and secretive. The breeding locality seems to be stagnant swamps in the dense forest (Schiøtz 1999). Eggs may be laid either on leaves above water, or in the water (IUCN 2006). The voice is an inconspicuous buzzing with low intensity, followed by a creaking sound. The frequency-intensity maximum is high, about 6000 cps (Schiøtz 1999).

It depends on forest edge habitat, occurring along roads and in gaps created by treefalls. It is found in several protected areas: Taï National Park and Haute Dodo Classified Forest, in Côte d'Ivoire, and in the Bobiri Forest Reserve, Ghana (IUCN 2006).