Cryptothylax greshoffii (Schilthuis, 1889)

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 : 52

Cryptothylax greshoffii (Schilthuis, 1889)

Fig. 7G–H .

Area: Yalokole, Yetee.

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

Material: CSB:Herp: RNBK 073, 146, 207, 256, 269, 248, 595; IVB-H-CD 18109, 18122–18127, 18232; NMP-P6 V 76077/1–10, 76078/1–3.

Comments: All observed adult specimens of Cryptothylax were of large size, identified as C. greshoffii , and thus did not fit the description of the enigmatic C. minutus ( Laurent 1976b) . This species occurs in open areas along streams or near swamps with rich high herbaceous vegetation. Cryptothylax only rarely enters the margins of forests. This sexually dichromatic species has yellowish to brown males and whitish to pinkish females with orange discs on the toes, which is a state of color dichromatism similar to that of the genus Congolius . Metamorphs of this species are relatively large and quite tuberculous with beige to pinkish lateral stripes and a brown dorsum, a pattern sometimes visible in adult males but less conspicuous. We encountered this species only relatively rarely, which is probably due to the presence of predominantly forested habitats in Kokolopori.

Figures

Fig. 7. Hyperoliids, Afrixalus, Congolius, and Cryptothylax. (A) Afrixalus equatorialis (male, nocturnal coloration). (B) A. equatorialis (female, nocturnal coloration). (C) A. osorioi (male). (D) A. cf. quadrivittatus (amplectant pair). (E) Congolius robustus (male). (F) C. robustus (female). (G) Cryptothylax greshoffii (male). (H) C. greshoffii (female).