Phrynomantis somalicus (Scortecci, 1941)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Microhylidae > Subfamily: Phrynomerinae > Genus: Phrynomantis > Species: Phrynomantis somalicus

Fichteria somalica Scortecci, 1941, Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano, 80: 177. Syntypes: 2 specimens, deposition not stated although presumably MSNM; remaining syntype is now MSNM Am 1326 according to Blackburn and Scali, 2014, Herpetol. Monogr., 28: 30, who discussed the material. Type locality: "Villaggio Duca degli Abruzzi (Somalia)"; given as Giohar, southern Somalia, by XXX.

Phrynomerus bifasciatus somalicus — Laurent In Gans, Laurent, and Pandit, 1965, Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Cent., Tervuren, Ser. Octavo, Sci. Zool., 134: 23.

Common Names

Somali Rubber Frog (Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 110; Spawls, Mazuch, and Mohammad, 2023, Handb. Amph. Rept. NE Afr.: 52). 

Somali Snake-necked Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 91).

Distribution

Southern Somalia (below 300 m elevation) and one specimen from north of Neghelli (1200 m elevation) in southern Ethiopia, extending into northeastern Kenya (Coast Province).

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia

Comment

Resurrected from the synonymy of Phrynomantis bifasciata by Lanza, 1990, Biogeographia, 14: 409, where it had been placed by Laurent in Gans, Laurent, and Pandit, 1965, Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Cent., Tervuren, Ser. Octavo, Sci. Zool., 134: 23. See Largen, 2001, Tropical Zool., 14: 326–328, for comments on distribution. See account, photograph, and map for Ethiopia by Largen and Spawls, 2010, Amph. Rept. Ethiopia Eritrea: 150-151. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 110–111, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. Spawls and Taylor, 2020, Herpetol. Rev., 51: 534, provided a record from Kilifi County, Coast Province, Kenya. Spawls, Mazuch, and Mohammad, 2023, Handb. Amph. Rept. NE Afr.: 52–53, provided an account  addressing identification, natural history, conservation status, and range, including a polygon map.  

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