Cardioglossa congolia Hirschfeld, Blackburn, Greenbaum, and Rödel, 2015

Badjedjea, Gabriel, Masudi, Franck M., Akaibe, Benjamin Dudu & Gvoždík, Václav, 2022, Amphibians of Kokolopori: an introduction to the amphibian fauna of the Central Congolian Lowland Forests, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 301) 16 (1), pp. 35-70 : 45

Cardioglossa congolia Hirschfeld, Blackburn, Greenbaum, and Rödel, 2015

Fig. 4G–H .

Area: Bechuchuu, Yalokole.

Season/survey: Wet (May, Nov 2018), dry (Aug 2019, Jul 2020).

Material: CSB:Herp: RNBK 143, 240, 717, 854; IVB-H-CD 18193, 18194, 18264.

Comments: A little-known Cardioglossa from the Central Congolian forests, closely related and morphologically similar to C. gratiosa from northwestern Central Africa ( Blackburn et al. 2021). This species is known only from males so far ( Hirschfeld et al. 2015). We also found only males, calling from leaf-litter near small streams in primary forest. This species has obviously cryptic ecology, and it is not easy to locate even calling males, while females remain unknown to science. Our new records from Kokolopori are located between the only two known distribution sites of this species in western Mai-Ndombe Province and western Tshopo Province ( Hirschfeld et al. 2015).

Figures

Fig. 4. Arthroleptids, Arthroleptis and Cardioglossa. (A) Arthroleptis phrynoides (female). (B) A. phrynoides, ventral view (same specimen as in A). (C) A. tuberosus procterae (female). (D) A. sp. aff. phrynoides (female). (E) A. sp. aff. variabilis (male). (F) A. sp. aff. xenochirus (male). (G) Cardioglossa congolia (male). (H) C. congolia, ventral view (same specimen as in G).