Arthroleptis poecilonotus Peters, 1863

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 : 636-638

Arthroleptis poecilonotus Peters, 1863

( Fig. 3 A-D)

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Togo • 10 ♂, 8 ♀; Missahohé ; MNHN-RA-2008.0131, MNHN-RA-2008.2008.0132, MNHN-RA-2008.0134-0138, MNHN-RA-2008.0141-0143, ZMB 26981 -26982, ZMB 26982 a-d, ZMB 26982g , ZMB 26982 i • 1 ♂; Yégué; Coll . GHS-W 0669 • 3 ♂; Yo ( Agomé Yo ); Coll . GHSW 0648 , Coll . GHS-W 0666, Coll . GHS-W 0681 • 1 ♂; Kovié ; MNHN-RA-1993.6099 • 1 ♀; Lomé ; MNHN-RA-1994.4472 • 1 ♀; Koui ; MNHN-RA-2008.0139, MNHN-RA-2008.0140 • 1 ♀; Oga ; MNHN-RA-2008.0130 .

DESCRIPTION. — Frog of small body size (SVL 18.3-24.4 mm ♂, 23-25.9 mm ♀), with relatively slender body. Snout pointed. Head slightly longer than large (HW 30-38% SVL; HL 31-41% SVL). Tympanum distinct (TYD 3-7% SVL). Tibia short (TL 39-45% SVL). Webbing absent, all phalanges free. Skin essentially smooth on the back and above the head, and slightly granular on the posterior part of the back and flanks. Black dot posterior to tympanum.

COLOURATION. — This species exhibits a wide range of colouration patterns within all populations investigated. The most common colour variants are figured in Channing & Rödel (2019). Examples are: 1) A brownish back colour with a marked whitish or yellowish vertebral line from snout to vent. A few rare black spots on dorsal sides of thighs and legs. Upper edge of loreal region, orbit and tympanic region with an irregularly shaped black band ( Fig. 3A ).

2) A medium or dark brown colouration, with irregularly shaped darker spots along back. Flanks with irregularly shaped whitish spots. Dorsal part of legs and thighs brown with irregularly shaped and transverse spots. A yellow or whitish vertebral line present ( Fig. 3B ). 3) A distinct light vertebral line. Back with a dark band, much wider in the orbital region, and ending at vent; band starting from snout separating in two dorsolateral bands at the orbital region and ending in the inguinal region. Flanks whitish with some dark spots ( Fig. 3C ). 4) A wide yellowish or whitish band covering the entire back from snout to vent, with the vertebral line marked. This colouration also present at the heels. Flanks, dorsal part of thigh and legs black or dark brown ( Fig. 3D ).

In all specimens, the throat is dark and the belly whitish. The ventral parts of the thigh and leg are whitish to transparent.

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. — Males have a dark, almost purple single subgular vocal sac. Female oviducts are often visible, with the large yellow oocytes shining through the inguinal skin.

HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION. — This species is more common in the forest area, although it occurs also in moist and heavily vegetated parts of all savannah ecosystems throughout the country. In the latter ecosystems, it lives in particular in gallery forest and woodlands. Arthroleptis poecilonotus is a common species in the West African gallery forests, in moist savannah and rainforest ( Lamotte 1967a; Rödel 2000; Channing & Rödel 2019). It was reported from Togo by Bourgat (1979), Segniagbeto et al. (2007) and Hillers et al. (2009). It was recently recorded by Segniagbeto et al. (2022) along the Mono river between Tetetou and Nagbeto dam.

TAXONOMIC REMARKS. — The taxononmy of A. poecilonotus needs revision including specimens over all its rather large range ( Lamotte 1967a; Rödel & Agyei 2003; Rödel & Bangoura 2004; Rödel et al. 2005; Leaché et al. 2006; Frétey 2008). Remarkably, it has a rather precise onymotope (type-locality), “holländische Besitzungen (Boutry) an der Küste von Guinea ” [Dutch possessions (Boutry) on the coast of Guinea], now Boutre, a place in Ahanta West district, Western Region, Ghana. During field work, specimens of various shapes and colours were collected (see above). The same observations were made on specimens collected in the Atakora chain in northern Benin ( Nago et al. 2006). Rödel & Bangoura (2004) already mentioned that species identification is difficult, as intra-specific variation exceeds inter-specific variation in many populations and the characters of the types of various West African Arthroleptis species do not allow identification (M.-O. Rödel, unpubl. data). Rödel & Bangoura (2004) also discussed the available names for West African Arthroleptis species. Genetic differences between populations with clear acoustic differences are minimal (M.-O. Rödel, unpubl. data). Thus, apart from the short-legged A. brevipes (see above) and the more recently described, much larger, A. krokosua ( Ernst, Agyei & Rödel, 2008) , all Arthroleptis from the eastern upper Guinea forest zone (eastern Côte d’Ivoire to western Nigeria) should be called A. poecilonotus . Records from beyond West Africa, published as A. poecilonotus , belong to different species ( Blackburn 2008, 2010; Channing & Rödel 2019).

Figures

FIG. 3. — Representatives of anuran species from Togo in life: A-D, different colour morphs of Arthroleptis poecilonotus Peters, 1863 complex: A, (Akloa); B, (Alédjo); C, (Akloa); D, (Diguendue); E, Leptopelis spiritusnoctis RÖdel, 2007 (Kouma Tokpli); F, Leptopelis viridis (Günther, 1869) (Siou).