There are just six species of ghost frog (those in the genus Heleophryne), two of which, Hewitt's ghost frog and Rose's ghost frog, are classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These species are nocturnal (or night active) and live in cool, fast-flowing mountain streams. The adults are adapted to their habitat in possessing well-developed pads on their fingers and toes for hanging on to wet rocks, and webbed feet for battling the strong currents. The tadpoles avoid being swept away in fast currents by possessing sucker-like mouth-parts which they use to cling to rocks to avoid being swept away. The cold conditions mean that development is slow – these species can spent up to two years in the tadpole phase of life.

These species are being adversely affected by habitat destruction caused by a number of factors, including logging, pine plantations, soil erosion causing siltation, and intensive ecotourism. The fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which has been implicated for the decline in a staggering number of amphibian species, has also been found in some ghost frog populations, and may be causing declines in these species also. These factors, coupled with the restricted ranges of these two species, make them highly vulnerable to extinction.

EDGE would like to contribute to creating a comprehensive Conservation Action Plan for the Critically Endangered South African ghost frogs by funding an EDGE Fellow to collect more data on the distribution, population ecology, behaviour and threats to these little-known species.

EDGE also aims to monitor populations of both species for chytrid fungus, work with local forestry services to manage remaining habitat sustainably and create buffer zones of native vegetation around streams. We will also investigate the feasibility of establishing a captive breeding programme for the ghost frogs in a South African institution.