Behaviour
Flowers on the Udzungwa scarp forest floor. © M Menegon
Nectophrynoides wendyae lives on the forest floor in undisturbed montane forest (Stuart et al., 2008).
Feeding
Data not available but probably feeds on small insects and other terrestrial invertebrates of the leaf litter.
Migration
None recorded. In the absence of any other populations no migration movements would be expected, consequently there is no opportunity for genetic exchange.
Associations
No information presently available on predator/ prey relations, parasites or habitat specific dependencies.
Disease
Wendy’s toad is particularly vulnerable to extinction due to chytridiomycosis through the introduction of chytrid fungus. This fungal disease was the final factor responsible for the extinction of the related Kihansi spray toad, N. asperginis, announced recently. The Kihansi spray toad was known from several populations in the Kihansi Gorge also in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania.
The single population of Wendy’s toad would mean that it would likely be wiped out by a single outbreak of chytrid infection which is caused by the zoospores of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. All possible safeguards and measures should be taken to prevent the introduction of this disease.
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Disease
Find out about the disease threatening the survival of Nectophrynoides wendyae and why a single outbreak could result in the species becoming extinct.