Xenopus gilli Rose and Hewitt 1927

Conradie, Werner, Branch, William R. & Watson, Gillian, 2015, Type specimens in the Port Elizabeth Museum, South Africa, including the historically important Albany Museum collection. Part 1: Amphibians, Zootaxa 3936 (1) : -

Xenopus gilli Rose and Hewitt 1927

Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, 14: 343; Pl. XVI, Figs. 1–4 .

Holotype: PEM A1523 (formerly AMG 5112); Near Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa; W. Rose, 14 July 1926.

Additional specimens (3): PEM A1531, 1532 and 1524; same details as holotype.

Remarks. With respect to the number of types Rose and Hewitt’s description states (p. 344): “Description based on four specimens collected near Cape Town by Mr. Walter Rose. The type, an adult male, is in the Albany Museum, Grahamstown”. Poynton (1964) and Frost (2014) have interpreted this conservatively as comprising a single type (holotype), with the other specimens constituting additional material. We follow this interpretation. However, the type bottle received from AMG contained five specimens (an adult male, three adult females and one immature male). The only adult male conforms to the illustration (Pl. XVI, fig. 4) in the type description and is thus clearly the holotype, whilst two of the three adult females also match the illustrations (Pl. XVI, fig. 1, 3) and are thus from the additional material discussed in the type description. The other adult female is assumed to be the remaining specimen mentioned in the type description. The immature male, which is not specifically discussed in the description, remains problematic. Both the holotype and one female (PEM A1531) are intact with no incisions. The two other adult females (PEM A1524 & 1532) have their ventral surface incised to expose sternal anatomy. The immature male (PEM A1525) has a small median abdominal incision, left side of jaw cut to expose articulation, and lower jaw folded back exposing buccal features. Full body X-rays exist for all the types except the immature male. Additional X-rays photos of the torsos exist for the holotype, and two of the adult females (done by D.E. van Dijk, Sept 2001).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Family Pyxicephalidae I: A—Lectotype of Anhydrophryne rattrayi (PEM A 6334), B—Lectotype of Arthroleptella bicolor villiersi (PEM A 1568), C—Holotype of Arthroleptella drewesii (PEM A 2319), D—Holotype of Arthroleptella landdrosia (PEM A 7123).

FIGURE 2. Family Breviciptidae: A—Holotype of Breviceps acutirostris (PEM A 1540), B—Lectotype of Breviceps fuscus (PEM A 4826), C—Lectotype of Breviceps tympanifer (PEM A 4811), D—Lectotype of Breviceps parvus (PEM A 1534), E—Lectotype of Breviceps parvus caffer (PEM A 849).

FIGURE 3. Family Bufonidae I: A— Lectotype of Bufo fenoulheti rhodesianus (PEM A 9079), B—Lectotye of Bufo fenoulheti (PEM A 825), C— Lectotype of Bufo angusticeps amatolica (PEM A 828), D—Holotype of Bufo robinsoni (PEM A 2492), E— Holotype of Bufo gariepensis nubicola (PEM A 2513), F—Lectotype of Bufo rosei (PEM A 5132).

FIGURE 4. Family Bufonidae II: A—Lectotype of Bufo regularis pardalis (PEM A 837), B—Lectotype of Bufo regularis rangeri (PEM A 822).