THE AMPHIBIANS OF SONTRA

Being surrounded by seawater on three sides, the Son Tra peninsula’s climate is not suitable for the development of amphibians. According to the latest research’s results in 2014, there are 18 species of amphibians belonging to 6 families and 1 order

Son Tra Nature Reserve (NR) was established under Decision No. 41/TTg on January 24th, 1977 by the Prime Minister, belonging to the administrative area of ​​Tho Quang ward, Son Tra District, Da Nang city. This NR’s total area is about ​​4,439 hectares, of which the strictly protected area is 2,595 hectares and the ecological rehabilitation area is 1,844 hectares.

There are a number of publications about amphibians here and data has been updated continuously. Dinh Thi Phuong Anh (1997) stated that Son Tra has 4 species of amphibians. In 2009, according to Dinh Thi Phuong Anh and her associates, 12 species of amphibians in Son Tra have been recorded. The findings from research in 2014 by Phan Thi Hoa and her colleagues show that Son Tra has 18 species of amphibians belonging to 6 families, 1 order, in which one species is listed in the Vietnam Red Book (2007) and 2 the species are listed in the IUCN Red List (2013).

The diversity of amphibian species in Son Tra compared to other neighboring areas is not high (Ba Na 38 species, Bach Ma 49 species). This may be due to the small area, the mountainous terrain with three sides facing the sea – Most amphibian species do not adapt with areas affected by salty water.

Amongst the 6 species of amphibians in Son Tra, the Dicroglossidae and the Rhacophoridae are the most numerous families with five species per each. Especially in the Rhacophoridae, Theloderma stellatum is a rare species listed in the World Red List (IUCN 2013) as categorized as Near Threatened. This species’ distribution is at altitudes below 400 m and very rare.

List of amphibians recorded in Son Tra Nature Reserve: here

Pictures of some species in Son Tra:

Besides, Son Tra NR is the mostly a secondary forest with more than 20 large and small streams, which is a favorable habitat for amphibians. However, the development of tourism with roads that cause wildlife’s habitat fragmentation, making dams for drinking water and mass tourism sites are gradually narrowing the habitat of amphibians. We need specific solutions to balance between sustainable development and conservation of natural resources in general and the amphibians in particular in Son Tra.

Reference source

1. Dinh Thi Phuong Anh and associates (1997), Fauna and flora, factors, and proposed approach to rational use of Son Tra Peninsula Nature Reserve, Final Report.

2. Dinh Thi Phuong Anh, Tran Thi Anh Huong (2009). Composition of amphibian and reptile species in Son Tra Peninsula Natural Reserve, Da Nang, Vietnam Scientific Report on the first amphibian and reptile workshop in Vietnam, Hue University Publisher: Pp.19-24, 2009.

3. Phan Thi Hoa, Nguyen Lan Hung Son, Dinh Thi Phuong Anh, Vu Ngoc Thanh (2014). New data on species composition and distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Son Tra Nature Reserve, Da Nang city. Journal of Science VNU, Natural Sciences and Technology, Vol. 30, No. 1S (2014) 79-87.