Breviceps adspersus Peters, 1882

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Brevicipitidae > Genus: Breviceps > Species: Breviceps adspersus

Breviceps adspersus Peters, 1882, Naturwiss. Reise Mossambique, Zool. 3: 177. Syntypes: according to Bauer, Günther, and Robeck, 1996, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 72: 261, syntynpes are ZMB 6294 (formerly 2 specimens, now one in ZMB), MCZ 11619 (formerly one of the specimens registered under ZMB 6294, according to Barbour and Loveridge, 1929, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 69: 229), ZMB 6281 (formerly 2 specimens, now one remaining), and AMNH 23537 (formerly one of the specimens under ZMB 6281); remaining Berlin specimen under ZMB 6294 invalidly designated lectotype by implication ('Type') by Parker, 1934, Monogr. Frogs Fam. Microhylidae: 194. Type locality: "Damaraland (Westafrika) [ZMB 6294], als aus Transvaal, zwischen 25 und 26° Br.; Gerlachshoop [Transvaal; remaining ZMB 6281]; and Botschabelo [Rep. South Africa, AMNH 23537]"; see discussion in Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 26: 518–523.

Breviceps mossambicus var. occidentalis Werner, 1903, Abh. Math. Physik. Cl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 22: 383. Holotype: ZSM, lost according to Glaw and Franzen, 2006, Spixiana, München, 29: 183. Type locality: "Deutsch-Südwestafrika" = South West Africa = Namibia. Synonymy by Parker, 1934, Monogr. Frogs Fam. Microhylidae: 193; Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 80.

Breviceps pretoriensis FitzSimons, 1930, Ann. Transvaal Mus., 14: 45. Holotype: TMP 7537, by original designation. Type locality: "Jericho, Pretoria District", Gauteng Province, Rep. South Africa. Provisional synonymy by Parker, 1934, Monogr. Frogs Fam. Microhylidae: 193. Synonymy by Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 80.

Breviceps adspersus adspersus — Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 81; Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 79.

Breviceps mossambicus adspersus — Broadley, 1971, Puku, 6: 111.

Common Names

South African Short-head (Cochran, 1961, Living Amph. World: 137).

Transvaal Blaasop (Breviceps adspersus adspersus: Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 81).

Transvaal Rain Frog (Breviceps adspersus adspersus: Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 81).

Blaasop (Wager, 1965, Frogs S. Afr.: 117; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 102).

Bullfrog (Broadley, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 33). 

Bushveld Rain Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 4; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 102; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 108).

Common Rain Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 4; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 102; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 213).

Common Rainfrog (Van Dijk, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 17: 15).

Common Short-headed Frog (Van Dijk, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 17: 15).

Peters' Rain Frog (Lambiris, 1990 "1989", Monogr. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, 10: 69).

Transvaal Short-headed Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 87).

Distribution

Western to southwestern and east-central Angola (see comment) south to through northern and eastern Namibia, Botswana, southwestern Zambia, Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, Eswatini, to northern Rep. South Africa, generally below 1400 m elevation.

Geographic Occurrence

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

Comment

Complex differentiation at edge of range has led to a large synonymy, which needs more investigation; see Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 26: 523–525, Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 65–67, and Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 213–214. Minter, 1995, Madoqua, Windhoek, 19: 37–44, reported on the advertisement call and reproductive biology. Engelbrecht and Mulder, 2000, Afr. Zool., 35: 217–221, discussed the genetic differences between Breviceps adspersus adspersus and Breviceps adspersus pentheter. See accounts by Minter, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 172–173, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 62, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 108–109 (who noted distinctive call differences between the nominal subspecies), provided brief accounts. Bates and Haacke, 2003, Navors. Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, 19: 141, suggested the possible presence of this species (as Breviceps adspersus pentheri) in Lesotho. Nielsen, Daniels, Conradie, Heinicke, and Noonan, 2018, J. Biogeograph., 45: 2067–2079, found Breviceps adspersus pentheri to be a distinct lineage, far from Breviceps adspersus adspersus and not closest relatives. In the Breviceps mossambicus group of Nielsen, Daniels, Conradie, Heinicke, and Noonan, 2018, J. Biogeograph., 45: 2067–2079, who reported on molecular phylogenetics and biogeography. Marques, Ceríaco, Blackburn, and Bauer, 2018, Proc. California Acad. Sci., Ser. 4, 65 (Suppl. II): 81–82, provided a map for Angola and provided a brief account noting that Angolan populations could be unnamed, Breviceps adspersus, or possibly Breviceps mossambicus. Nielsen, Conradie, Ceríaco, Bauer, Heinicke, Stanley, and Blackburn, 2020, ZooKeys, 979: 133–160, suggested that all Angolan records should be confirmed. Phaka, Netherlands, Kruger, and Du Preez, 2017, Bilingual Field Guide Frogs Zululand: 22, provided a photograph, Zululand regional map, and a brief account of life history and identification. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 116–117, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. Heinicke, Beidoun, Nielsen, and Bauer, 2021, Herpetol. Notes, 14: 397–406, noted several unnamed species masquerading under this name.     

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