Arthroleptis affinis Ahl, 1939

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Arthroleptidae > Subfamily: Arthroleptinae > Genus: Arthroleptis > Species: Arthroleptis affinis

Arthroleptis affinis Ahl, 1939 "1938", Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1938: 303. Holotype: Not stated; given as ZMB 23093 by Grandison, 1983, Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Zool., 45: 83. Type locality: "Amani (Deutsch-Ost-Afrika)", East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.

Arthroleptis schoenebecki Ahl, 1939 "1938", Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1938: 305. Holotype: Not stated, although presumably ZMB; given as ZMB 25289 by Grandison, 1983, Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Zool., 45: 83, this confirmed by D. Blackburn (personal commun.). Type locality: "Amani (Deutsch-Ost-Afrika)", Tanzania. Considered a synonym of Arthroleptis adolfifriederici by Loveridge, 1942, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 91: 379; placed in the synonymy of Arthroleptis affinis by Grandison, 1983, Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Zool., 45: 77–84.

Abroscaphus affinisLaurent, 1957, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 56: 274–275, by implication.

Arthroleptis adolfi-friederici leleupi Skelton-Bourgeois, 1961, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 63: 323. Holotype: MRAC 38006, by original designation. Type locality: "Baglio, Uluguru Mts., Tanganyika Territory", Tanzania. Synonymy by Poynton, 2003, Afr. J. Herpetol., 52: 108.

Common Names

Amani Screeching Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 36).

Ahl's Squeaker (Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 50).

Related Squeaker (Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 266). 

Distribution

Mountains of northeastern, eastern, and eastern Tanzania, including North and South Pare, Rubeho, West and East Usambara, Uluguru, Neguu, and Mount Rungwe and Udzungwa mountains, 800 to 2050 m.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Tanzania

Endemic: Tanzania

Comment

Previously in the literature, Arthroleptis affinis was considered a synonym of Arthroleptis adolfifriederici by Loveridge, 1942, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 91: 379, but this synonymy was rejected by Skelton-Bourgeois, 1961, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 63: 324. Discussed by Grandison, 1983, Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Zool., 45 who recognized the species. Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 26: 539, commented on the distinctiveness of this species from Arthroleptis tanneri. Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 50–51, provided an account and map for East Africa, but implied that the synonymy of Arthroleptis adolfi-friederici leleupi by Poynton, 2003, Afr. J. Herpetol., 52: 108, was premature. Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 302–303, provided an account and suggested that the species is closely related to Arthroleptis tanneri. Frétey, 2008, Alytes, 25: 99–172, summarized the literature. Poynton and Loader, 2008, Copeia, 2008: 517–526, discussed clinal variation among populations. Poynton, Menegon, and Loader, 2009 "2008", Afr. J. Herpetol., 57: 70, provided a sonogram of the advertisement call. In sum, it appears that the montane populations may warrant species recognition, but the morphological evidence at present may not warrant it. See comments on identifications and range by Loader, Poynton, Lawson, Blackburn, and Menegon, 2011, Fieldiana, Life Earth Sci., 4: 92–93. Harper, Measey, Patrick, Menegon, and Vonesh, 2010, Field Guide Amph. E. Arc Mts. Tanzania and Kenya: 40–41, provided a brief account for the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 266–267, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map.  

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