Afrixalus spinifrons (Cope, 1862)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Hyperoliidae > Subfamily: Hyperoliinae > Genus: Afrixalus > Species: Afrixalus spinifrons

Hyperolius spinifrons Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 14: 342. Holotype: ANSP 11320, according to Malnate, 1971, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 123: 353. Type locality: "Umvoti", KwaZulu-Natal, Rep. South Africa; reported, apparently in error as "Umvoti, W. Africa" by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 130.

Megalixalus ? spinifrons — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 130.

Megalixalus spinifrons — Ahl, 1930, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1930: 94; FitzSimons, 1946, Ann. Transvaal Mus., 20: 373.

Megalixalus fornasinii spinifrons — Power, 1935, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1935: 342.

Afrixalus spinifrons — Guibé, 1948, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Paris, Ser. 2, 20: 500, by implication; Rose, 1962, Rep. Amph. S. Afr., Ed. 2: 109; Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 182.

Afrixalus spinifrons spinifrons — Pickersgill, 1996, Durban Mus. Novit., 21: 51.

Afrixalus spinifrons intermedius Pickersgill, 1996, Durban Mus. Novit., 21: 55. Holotype: SMF unnumbered (M. Pickersgill 534), by original designation. Type locality: "Mooi River floodplain at Rosetta (alt. 1410 m), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa".

Common Names

Golden Spiny Reed Frog (Wager, 1965, Frogs S. Afr.: 195; Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 236).

Natal Leaf-folding Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 236; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 234).

Natal Banana Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 66).

Natal Spiny Reed Frog (Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 141).

Distribution

KwaZulu-Natal midlands to Eastern Cape coast, Rep. South Africa, below 1500 m elevation; possibly into Lesotho.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: South Africa

Likely/Controversially Present: Lesotho

Endemic: South Africa

Comment

See brief account by Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 182, in which he details taxonomic history, and accounts by Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 141–142, Pickersgill, Burger, and Bishop, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 131–133, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 432–434, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 234–235. See photograph, map, description of geographic range and habitat, and conservation status in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 281. Bates and Haacke, 2003, Navors. Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, 19: 143, suggested the possible presence of this species in Lesotho. Channing, Rödel, and Channing, 2012, Tadpoles of Africa: 191, reported on comparative tadpole morphology. Schiøtz, 1999, Treefrogs Afr.: 80–81, provided a brief account and map and suggested that the nominal subspecies, Afrixalus spinifrons intermedius, is intermediate in most characters between Afrixalus spinifrons spinifrons and Afrixalus knysnae and on this basis questioned the recognition of Afrixalus knysnae from Afrixalus spinifrons. Du Preez and Carruthers, 2017, Frogs S. Afr., Compl. Guide: 250–251, provided an account, including a polygon range map, photograph, identification features, adult and larval morphology, habitat, and call. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 162–163, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. 

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