Geotrypetes seraphini (Duméril, 1859)

Segniagbeto, Gabriel Hoinsoudé, Ohler, Annemarie, Rödel, Mark-Oliver, Luiselli, Luca & Dubois, Alain, 2024, Amphibians of Togo: taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, Zoosystema 46 (25), pp. 631-670 : 660-661

Geotrypetes seraphini (Duméril, 1859)

( Fig. 13F )

MATERIALS EXAMINED. — Togo • 23 unknown sex; Agou; MNHN-RA-2008.0144-0152, Coll . GHS-W 1326-1339 • 1 individual; Sodo Zion; Coll . GHS-W 1340 .

DESCRIPTION. — Amphibians without legs and with serpentine body; total length of body 185-295 mm. Head quite distinct from the neck, which is materialized in the form of a ring. Snout rounded, eyes and nostrils round. Body with two types of rings: 94 to 101 primary rings and 40 to 48 secondary rings.

COLOURATION. — The colouration is black or dark; the rings are whitish. The top of the head appears brown with darker orbital regions. The chin is brown.

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. — Not studied.

HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION. — First record. This species is essentially found in forests. The explorations were carried out in the forest zone (Agou, Yo and Sodo Zion). Geotrypetes seraphini is fossorial and can only be observed above ground during rain, or when digging in the ground.

REMARK. — The number of secondary rings of the specimens from Togo falls into the range given by Taylor (1968) for the subspecies G. seraphini seraphini . The presence of this species in Togo closes the distributional gap between the two subspecies (the western one is G. s. occidentalis). Molecular data would be necessary to evaluate the status of the subspecies.

Figures

FIG. 13. — Representatives of anuran species from Togo in life: A, Ptychadena pumilio (Boulenger, 1920) (Mango); B, Ptychadena tellinii (Peracca, 1904) (Koui); C, Aubria subsigillata (Duméril,1856) (Kovié);D, Hylarana galamensis (Duméril & Bibron,1841) (Avévé);E, Hylarana parva (Griesbaum, Jongsma, Penner,Kouamé, Doumbia, Gonwouo, Hillers, Glos, Blackburn & RÖdel, 2023) (Diguengue); F, Geotrypetes seraphini (Duméril, 1859) (Agou).