Contributions to the herpetofauna of the Angolan Okavango- Cuando-Zambezi river drainages. Part 3: Amphibians
Author
Conradie, Werner
National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, Wild Bird Trust, SOUTH AFRICA & Department of Nature Conservation Management, Natural Resource Science and Management Cluster, Faculty of Science, George Campus, Nelson Mandela University, George, SOUTH AFRICA & Port Elizabeth Museum, Beach Road, Humewood, Port Elizabeth 6013, SOUTH AFRICA
Author
Keates, Chad
South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Makhanda, SOUTH AFRICA & National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, Wild Bird Trust, SOUTH AFRICA & Department of Nature Conservation Management, Natural Resource Science and Management Cluster, Faculty of Science, George Campus, Nelson Mandela University, George, SOUTH AFRICA
Author
Verburgt, Luke
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, SOUTH AFRICA & Enviro-Insight CC, Unit 8 Oppidraai Office Park, Pretoria 0050, SOUTH AFRICA & National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, Wild Bird Trust, SOUTH AFRICA
Author
Baptista, Ninda L.
Museum für Naturkunde-Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, GERMANY & BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485 - 661 Vairão, PORTUGAL & Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4169 - 007, Porto, PORTUGAL & CIBIO / InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485 - 661 Vairão, PORTUGAL & Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação da Huíla (ISCED), Rua Sarmento Rodrigues, Lubango, ANGOLA & National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, Wild Bird Trust, SOUTH AFRICA
Author
Harvey, James
Harvey Ecological, 41 Devonshire Avenue, Howick, 3290, SOUTH AFRICA & National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, Wild Bird Trust, SOUTH AFRICA
text
Amphibian & Reptile Conservation
2023
e 325
2023-08-04
17
1
19
56
journal article
297340
10.5281/zenodo.12761936
5e6c8fd8-74a8-4de2-8687-29b4ea71fac1
1525-9153
12761936
Hyperolius
cf.
inyangae
Laurent, 1943
Nyanga
Reed Frog (
Fig. 14
;
Map 13
)
Material (
30 specimens
):
PEM
A12730–3,
INBAC
: WC-4839;
INBAC
(no number x3), Cuando River source, -13.00346° 19.12751°,
1,353 m
asl;
PEM
A14793– 803,
INBAC
: WC-7023,
INBAC
: WC-7025, Luio River camp floodplains, -13.19711° 20.22194°,
1,181 m
asl;
PEM
A13741, Lungwebungu River campsite, -12.58319° 18.66570°,
1,284 m
asl;
PEM
A14887–8, Luvu River camp, -13.71200° 21.83538°,
1,082 m
asl;
PEM
A12858–9, Quembo River source lake, -13.13624° 19.04591°,
1,366 m
asl;
PEM
A12500,
PEM
A12513, river crossing before Samboano Village, -12.30700° 18.62350°,
1,398 m
asl;
PEM
A14892–3, wetland near old quarry east of Quemba, -12.16960° 18.22965°,
1,353 m
asl.
Additional material (
1 specimen
):
P2- 274 (photograph and tissue sample), wetland near old quarry east of Quemba, -12.16960° 18.22965°,
1,353 m
asl.
Description:
Small slender species of reed frog; very sharp snout with a small anterior protrusion, which extends well beyond the margin of the mouth; small black asperites on throat; pedal webbing formula:
I
(1),
II
i/e (1–0.75),
III
(1–0.75),
IV
(0.75–0.75),
V
(0.5). Dorsum lime green with white dorsolateral stripes; ventrum transparent; toe tips and webbing yellow. Adult females (n = 9) varied from 15.0–19.6 (16.7) mm (largest female:
PEM
A12500); adult males (n = 21) varied from 12.8–17.9 (15.1) mm (largest male:
PEM
A14893).
Habitat and natural history notes:
Found sympatric with
Hyperolius nasutus
at the Lungwebungu, Cuando, and Quembo rivers, where they were distinguished by microhabitat preference.
Hyperolius
cf.
inyangae
was found among vegetation associated with slow running water, while
H. nasutus
was found on margins of source lakes or flooded areas with larger bodies of open water.
Comments:
Bittencourt-Silva (2019)
assigned a specimen from western
Zambia
to
H. nasicus
based on head shape and webbing, but mentioned that molecularly it is most like
H. inyangae
. The new material documented here is molecularly identical (16S rRNA: 97.5–100%) to the published sequences of
H. inyangae
(Channing et al. 2013;
Bittencourt-Silva 2019
) and agrees with the description, especially regarding the sharp snout usually with a pointed protrusion, but differs in the pedal webbing condition (Channing et al. 2013). It is reported to have reduced webbing and is illustrated as such, while the specimens here have more extensive webbing. This is either an error or there is a degree of variation in the webbing condition. The presence of this species so far to the west is an unexpected result, as
H.inyangae
is currently only known from the Eastern Highlands of
Zimbabwe
. These new records thus represent a range extension of over
1,500 km
westward. Further phylogenetic work is underway to fully document the taxonomic status of this population and other species assigned to the
H. nasutus
or
H. benguellensis
complexes.