Hyperolius viridis Schiøtz, 1975

Channing, A., Hillers, A., Lötters, S., Rödel, O., Schick, S., Conradie, W., Rödder, D., Wagner, P., Dehling, J. M., Du Preez, L. H., Kielgast, J. & Burger, M., 2013, Taxonomy of the super-cryptic Hyperolius nasutus group of long reed frogs of Africa (Anura: Hyperoliidae), with descriptions of six new species, Zootaxa 3620 (3), pp. 301-350 : 339-341

Hyperolius viridis Schiøtz, 1975

Robust Long Reed Frog ( Fig. 9 )

Genetic material. ZMB 76096 (Vintukutu Forest Reserve, Malawi); ZMB 76102 (Kaningina Forest Reserve, Malawi) ( Fig. 1 ).

Diagnosis. The advertisement call ( Fig. 15) consists of a brief initial note consisting of 26 pulses followed by five slower pulses, with a duration of 0.41 s. It can be distinguished from species producing only a single note, and those producing only a buzz: H. acuticeps , H. adspersus , H. dartevellei , H. jacobseni , H. lupiroensis , and H. nasutus . It can be distinguished from the other species producing a two-part call, which have a duration less than 0.4 s: H. friedemanni , H. howelli , H. igbettensis , H. inyangae , H. poweri and H. rwandae . It differs from H. benguellensis which only has five pulses in the initial note. See Table 3 for a summary of call parameters. The snout is bluntly rounded, distinguishing it from those with truncated, shark-like or sharply rounded snouts: H. acuticeps , H. benguellensis , H. dartevellei , H. friedemanni , H. howelli , H. inyangae , H. lupiroensis , H. nasutus , and H. rwandae . The webbing has one phalanx free on the first to third toes, just more than one free on the fourth toe, and half a phalanx free on the fifth toe. It can be distinguished from the species that are webbed to the disc on the fifth toe: H. adspersus , H. friedemanni , H. jacobseni , H. lupiroensis , and H. rwandae . It differs from the species that have more than half a phalanx free of web on the fifth toe: H. acuticeps , H. benguellensis , H. dartevellei , H. howelli , and H. inyangae . It can be distinguished from the remaining species that are webbed to the disc on the third or fourth toes: H. adspersus and H. nasutus . Our specimens show the stocky build noted by Schiøtz (1975).

Description of a Vintukutu specimen. An adult male ZMB 76096, from Vintukutu Forest Reserve, Malawi. Body short and compact, widest at mid-body, tapering to head and neck; head very small (HL/SUL 0.22, HW/SUL 0.34), narrower than mid part of trunk, wider than long (HL/HW 0.64); snout short (SL/HL 0.59), suboivoid in dorsal view, almost truncate in profile ( Fig. 6 ), only slightly protruding beyond lower jaw, almost as long as wide (SL/EE 0.96); canthus rostralis distinct, rounded, slightly concave between eye to nostril, slightly convex near tip of snout; loreal region almost vertical, slightly concave; nostril directed dorsolaterally; situated closer to tip of snout than to eye (EN/NS 1.18), separated from each other by distance equal to distance between eye and nostril (NN/EN 0.94); eyes directed anterolaterally, moderately protruding, relatively large (ED/HL 0.59); eye diameter equal to snout length(ED/SL 1.0); interorbital distance much narrower than upper eyelid (IO/EW 0.36), but greater than internarial distance (IO/NN 1.3); tympanum not visible externally; upper jaw with dentition; choanae small, round, located far anterolaterally at margins of roof of the mouth, completely concealed by upper jaw in ventral view; vomer processes and teeth absent; tongue slightly longer than wide (2.1), free for about three-fourths of length, bifurcated distally for about one-fourth of length; median lingual process absent; vocal sac single, median, subgular,; The gular flap is large (almost completely covering the throat), glandular and wider (4.7) than long (4.1), white in preservative with many minute melanophores.

The skin of the dorsum and upper limbs appears smooth, finely granular under dissecting microscope; flat granular belly; supratympanic fold absent.

Fore limbs slender; hand small (HND/SUL 0.19); tips of fingers enlarged into broad oval disks, each with circummarginal groove; relative length of fingers: I<II<IV<III; subarticular tubercles rounded, well developed, with one on fingers I and II, two on fingers III and IV; only basal webbing between fingers; thenar tubercle oval and prominent; palmar small, round and indistnct; metacarpals without supernumerary tubercles; nuptial pads or asperities absent.

Hind limbs slender, moderately long (LEG/SUL 1.45); tibio-tarsal articulation reaching to level of tip of snout when legs are adpressed to body; tibiofibula moderately long (TFL/SUL 0.54), longer than thigh (TFL/THL 1.09); heels only slightly overlapping each other considerably when knees are flexed and thighs are held laterally at right angle to body; foot shorter than tibiofibula (FOT/TFL 0.79); relative length of toes: I<II<III<V<IV; discs of toes smaller than those of fingers; subarticular tubercles: one on toes I and II, two on toes III and V, and three on toe IV; pedal webbing formula ( Fig. 7 ) I 0.5– 1 II 0.25– 1 III 0.25– 1 IV 1–0.25 V; inner metatarsal tubercle small, oval, not very prominent; outer one not discernible.

Colouration in life. The dorsal and ventral surfaces are white, dorsal surfaces (including thighs) densely covered with minute melanophores. Colouration in preservative. All colours have faded to yellow; gular flap whitish.

Eggs and tadpoles. Unknown.

Remarks. The species is known from southern Tanzania and northern Malawi. We suggest that the IUCN status of Data Deficient be maintained until further studies are undertaken.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map showing the distribution of the sequenced specimens of recognised species in the Hyperolius nasutus group plus H. lamottei. Species numbers represent the following: 1 — H. acuticeps, 2 — H. adspersus, 3 — H. benguellensis, 4 — H. friedemanni sp. nov., 5 — H. howelli sp. nov., 6 — H. igbettensis, 7 — H. inyangae sp. nov., 8 — H. jacobseni sp. nov., 9 — H. lamottei, 10 — H. lupiroensis sp. nov., 11 — H. nasutus, 12 — H. poweri, 13 — H. rwandae sp. nov., 14 — H. dartevellei, 15 — H. viridis, 16 — H. nasicus.

FIGURE 6. Snout profiles of representatives of the species in the Hyperolius nasutus group.

FIGURE 7. Webbing diagrams of representatives of the species in the Hyperolius nasutus group.

FIGURE 9 Hyperolius nasutus, Calandula, Angola, ZMB 77311, photo A. Channing (A); Hyperolius poweri, Mkambati NR, South Africa, photo W. Conradie (B); Hyperolius rwandae sp. nov., Butare, Rwanda, ZMB 77221, holotype, photo J. M. Dehling (C); Hyperolius viridis, Kaningina, Malawi, photo V. Mercurio (D), Hyperolius rwandae sp. nov, female paratype ZMB 77223, photo J. M Dehling (E), Hyperolius dartevellei, Carumbo, Angola, PEM A 10035, photo W. Conradie (F).