Hildebrandtia cf. ornata (Peters, 1878)

Baptista, Ninda L., António, Telmo & Branch, William R., 2019, The herpetofauna of Bicuar National Park and surroundings, southwestern Angola: a preliminary checklist, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 203) 13 (2), pp. 96-130 : 105-106

Hildebrandtia cf. ornata (Peters, 1878)

Ornate Frog ( Fig. 9 )

Material: Photographic record (F. Maiato, on wetland between Chibemba and Cahama, approximate coordinates same as site 42).

Comment: Two species of Hildebrandtia exist in Angola: H. ornata and H. ornatissima ( Marques et al. 2018; Baptista et al. 2019). Hildebrantia ornata is limited to the southwest, and H. ornatissima extends northwards to the centralplateau ( Ruas 1996; Marquesetal.2018). Boulenger (1919) provides morphological distinction between H. ornatissima ( Bocage, 1897) , endemic to Angola, and H. ornata (Peters, 1878) (= R. ruddi ), originally described from Kenya but with a wide distribution in Africa. Perret (1976) considered H. ornata and H. ornatissima as two valid species based on morphology, but Poynton and Haacke (1993) contest that, and consider them subspecies.” Specimens collected from Dongue, 28 km west of BNP and other localities in southwestern Angola had mixed features from both taxa and were assigned to H. ornata ornata ( Poynton and Haacke 1993) . A single frog was photographed, approximately 55 km southwest of BNP’s boundaries, and it is provisionally assigned to H. ornata based on the identification of material collected in close proximity ( Poynton and Haacke 1993). Hildebrandtia heavy rains. Pyxicephalus adspersus is recorded from southern Angola in Humbe ( Bocage 1895), Mupanda ( Monard 1937a), and Pereira d’Eça (= Ondjiva) and 23 km NW Pereira d’Eça ( Poynton and Haacke 1993, as P. a. edulis ). Several synonymies exist within P. adspersus ( Frost 2019) . Consensus regarding whether P. edulis occurs in the Zambezi Region (previously the Caprivi Strip), has not been reached ( Herrmann and Branch 2013), and the Angolan material requires further analysis. Locally called “mafuma,” it is captured for consumption and bushmeat trade. It may also have cultural relevance in Angola, as in some parts of Cunene Province this frog’s mating behavior is said to inspire a traditional fight called “engolo” among the Nkhumbi people (J. Moniz, pers. comm.).

specimens have also been recently collected from several localities in Huíla and Malanje provinces (Baptista and Vaz Pinto, unpub. data), and the genus requires a revision in the country.

Figures

Fig. 9. Hildebrandtia cf. ornata, between Chibemba and Cahama (Photo by F. Maiato).