Leptopelis flavomaculatus (Günther, 1864)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Arthroleptidae > Subfamily: Leptopelinae > Genus: Leptopelis > Species: Leptopelis flavomaculatus

Hyperolius flavomaculatus Günther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1864: 310. Holotype: BMNH according to Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 129; identified as BMNH 1947.2.9.82, by Gvoždík, Tillack, Menegon, and Loader, 2014, Zootaxa, 3793: 166, originally 1864.1.9.49 by museum records. Type locality: "Rovuma Bay", Tanzania.

Rappia flavomaculata — Günther, 1869 "1868", Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868: 481; Tornier, 1896, in Möbius (ed.), Deutsch Ost-Afr., 3: 136.

Megalixalus flavomaculatus — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 128.

Hylambates johnstoni Boulenger, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1897: 803. Syntypes: BMNH (4 specimens), by original designation, according to museum records, these being 1897.6.9.215 (reregistered 1947.2.10.7) and 1897.6.9.214 (3 specimens, reregistered 1947.2.10.4–6). BMNH 1947.2.10.4 designated lectotype by Gvoždík, Tillack, Menegon, and Loader, 2014, Zootaxa, 3793: 172. Type locality: "Kondowe–Karongoa, and one from the Nyika Plateau", restricted to Kondowe to Karonga, Malawi, by Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 343, and this stabilized by the lectotype designation. Synonymy by Laurent, 1948 "1947", Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 11, 14: 293; Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 329, 343.

Leptopelis johnstoni — Barbour and Loveridge, 1928, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 50: 239; FitzSimons, 1939, Ann. Transvaal Mus., 20: 17-46.

Leptopelis barbouri Ahl, 1929, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1929: 199. Syntypes: MCZ 13661-71; MCZ 13661 designated lectotype by Schiøtz, 1975, Treefrogs E. Afr.: 48. Type locality: "Lutindi-Berg (Usambara-Gebirge)" (= Mount Lutindi, Usambara Mountains), Tanzania. Synonymy by Gvoždík, Tillack, Menegon, and Loader, 2014, Zootaxa, 3793: 165. 

Leptopelis flavomaculatus — Laurent, 1948 "1947", Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 11, 14: 293; Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 343.

Common Names

Brown-backed Tree Frog (Broadley, 1973, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 10: 23).

Green-blotched Leaf Frog (Broadley, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 34). 

Yellow-spotted Tree Frog (Lambiris, 1990 "1989", Monogr. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, 10: 143; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 201; Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 201; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 94).

Brown Forest Treefrog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 69).

Johnston's Treefrog (Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 201 [alternative name]).

Barbour's Forest Treefrog (Inappropriate name due to a confusion of type: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 68). See comment under Leptopelis grandiceps. 

Distribution

Along stream in open semideciduous forest of the East African lowlands below 2000 m from Mozambique north of the Save River, the eastern Zimbabwean escarpment, Malawi, eastern Tanzania, and coastal Kenya.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe

Comment

Closely related to Leptopelis christyi according to Schiøtz, 1975, Treefrogs E. Afr.: 32. See comment under Leptopelis lebeaui. See accounts by Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 168–169, Inger, 1968, Explor. Parc Natl. Garamba, Miss. H. de Saeger, 52: 116, Schiøtz, 1999, Treefrogs Afr.: 279–280, Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 201–203, Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 201-202, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 492–496, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 94-95. Mercurio, 2011, Amph. Malawi: 97-99, provided an account for Malawi. See taxonomic and descriptive comments by Gvoždík, Tillack, Menegon, and Loader, 2014, Zootaxa, 3793: 165–187. Harper, Measey, Patrick, Menegon, and Vonesh, 2010, Field Guide Amph. E. Arc Mts. Tanzania and Kenya: 68–71, provided a brief account for  eastern Tanzania and coastal Kenya. Ohler and Frétey, 2014, J. E. Afr. Nat. Hist., 103: 80–81, discussed the species in northern Mozambique. Conradie, Bittencourt-Silva, Engelbrecht, Loader, Menegon, Nanvonamuquitxo, Scott, and Tolley, 2016, Zoosyst. Evol., Berlin, 92: 163–180, reported populations from Mounts Mabu and Mount Namuli (Zambezia Province), Mozambique. Du Preez and Carruthers, 2017, Frogs S. Afr., Compl. Guide: 96–97, provided a brief account for southern Africa, including a polygon range map, photograph, identification features, adult and larval morphology, habitat, and call. Quattrini, Kasozi, Polo-Cavia, Márquez, Narins, and Hödl, 2018, Herpetologica, 74: 311–322, discussed the behavioral and morphological differences of sympatric species both identified as this species in northeastern Tanzania. Spawls, Wasonga, and Drewes, 2019, Amph. Kenya: 8, provided a range map for Kenya, photograph, and brief characterization. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 228–229, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. Bittencourt-Silva, Bayliss, and Conradie, 2020, Amph. Rept. Conserv., 14 (2: e247): 198–271, reported the species from the top of Mount Socone, Ile District, Zambezia Province, northeast-central Mozambique. 

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