Ptychadena mossambica (Peters, 1854)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Ptychadenidae > Genus: Ptychadena > Species: Ptychadena mossambica

Rana Mossambica Peters, 1854, Ber. Bekannt. Verhandl. K. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1854: 626. Syntypes: ZMB 4418, 4419a-b, 37555 according to Poynton, 1969 "1966", Mem. Inst. Invest. Cient. Moçambique, Ser. A, Cienc. Biol., 8: 20, and Bauer, Günther, and Klipfel, 1995, in Bauer et al. (eds.), Herpetol. Contr. W.C.H. Peters: 50; ZMB 4418 designated lectotype by Poynton, 1969 "1966", Mem. Inst. Invest. Cient. Moçambique, Ser. A, Cienc. Biol., 8: 21. Type localities: "Cabaceira, Quellimane, Tette, Boror", Mozambique; restricted to "Tette" (=Tete), Mozambique by lectotype designation.

Rana vernayi FitzSimons, 1932, Ann. Transvaal Mus., 15: 39. Types: TMP (formerly Vernay-Lang Kalahari Expedition 975), by original designation. Type locality: "Metsimaklaba [= Metsemotlhaba] River", Botswana. Synonymy by Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 329, 371; Poynton, 1969 "1966", Mem. Inst. Invest. Cient. Moçambique, Ser. A, Cienc. Biol., 8: 19; and Poynton, 1970, Ann. Natal Mus., 20: 373.

Rana mascareniensis mossambicaLoveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 329, 371.

Ptychadena (Ptychadena) mossambicaPienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 79. Dubois, 1992, Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 61: 316.

Ptychadena vernayiPoynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 135.

Ptychadena mossambicaPoynton, 1969 "1966", Mem. Inst. Invest. Cient. Moçambique, Ser. A, Cienc. Biol., 8: 19; Dubois, 1987 "1986", Alytes, 5: 56; by implication.

English Names

Single-striped Grass Frog (Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 79).

Mozambique Ridged Frog (Broadley, 1973, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 10: 23; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 160; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 331; Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 308).

Moçambique Ridged Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 5).

Broad Banded Grass Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 5; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 160; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 314).

Broad-banded Grass Frog (Minter and Passmore, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 287).

Mozambique Grass Frog (Lambiris, 1990 "1989", Monogr. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, 10: 120).

Mozambique Ridged Frog (Minter and Passmore, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 287 [alternative name]).

Mozambique Grassland Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 105).

Distribution

Central and southern Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, eastern Botswana; eastern and northern Rep. South Africa south to KwaZulu-Natal; Eswatini; Angola adjacent to and the Caprivi region of Namibia (see comment). 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Comment

Discussed by Poynton, 1969 "1966", Mem. Inst. Invest. Cient. Moçambique, Ser. A, Cienc. Biol., 8: 19. Revised by Poynton, 1970, Ann. Natal Mus., 20: 373. See also Perret, 1979, Bull. Soc. Neuchatel. Sci. Nat., 102: 17, Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 155–156, Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 86–87, Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 331–333, Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 308, Minter and Passmore, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 287–289, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 150–151, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 314–315. Passmore, 1977, S. Afr. J. Sci., 73: 212–214, and Channing, 1993, S. Afr. J. Zool., 28: 144, described the advertisement call. See comment under Ptychadena gansi. Mercurio, 2011, Amph. Malawi: 259–260, provided an account for Malawi. Harper, Measey, Patrick, Menegon, and Vonesh, 2010, Field Guide Amph. E. Arc Mts. Tanzania and Kenya: 266–267, provided a brief account. Ohler and Frétey, 2014, J. E. Afr. Nat. Hist., 103: 99, provided a brief discussion of a collection from northern Mozambique. Marques, Ceríaco, Blackburn, and Bauer, 2018, Proc. California Acad. Sci., Ser. 4, 65 (Suppl. II): 136, provided a map for Angola and brief discussion of the literature for Ptychadena cf. mossambica in extreme southeastern Angola. Phaka, Netherlands, Kruger, and Du Preez, 2017, Bilingual Field Guide Frogs Zululand: 55, provided a photograph, Zululand regional map, and a brief account of life history and identification. See Bittencourt-Silva, 2019, Amph. Rept. Conserv., 13 (2: e181): 11–12, for comment on population, possibly of this species, in western Zambia as well as confusion with Ptychadena mapachaSpawls, Wasonga, and Drewes, 2019, Amph. Kenya: 41, provided a photograph, range map, and brief characterization. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 346–347, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map.       

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