Phrynobatrachus acridoides (Cope, 1867)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Phrynobatrachidae > Genus: Phrynobatrachus > Species: Phrynobatrachus acridoides

Staurois acridoides Cope, 1867, J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, 6: 198. Syntypes: Only MCZ 457 and 459 mentioned in original publication; including ANSP 10066–71 and MCZ 15026–32, according to Malnate, 1971, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 123: 348, and Barbour and Loveridge, 1929, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 69: 345. Type locality: "Zanzibar", Tanzania.

Phrynobatrachus acridoides — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 113.

Phrynobatrachus boulengeri De Witte, 1918, Rev. Zool. Afr., 6: 225. Syntypes: BMNH 1907.4.29.52–58 (now renumbered 1947.2.30.22–28) and 1907.4.29.78–87 (now renumbered 1947.2.30.5–21) according to museum records. Type locality: "Beira et Coguna", Mozambique. Synonymy with Phrynobatrachus natalensis by Noble, 1924, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 49: 189. Recognized; without discussion, by Deckert, 1938, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1938: 160. Synonymy by Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 158–159.

Hylarthroleptis boulengeri — Ahl, 1925 "1923", Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1923: 100.

Hylarthroleptis medilineatus Ahl, 1925 "1923", Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1923: 100. Holotype: ZMB unnumbered in the original publication. Type locality: "Tscharra, am Danafluss" (= Charra, Tana River), Kenya. Synonymy by Loveridge, 1957, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 117: 346.

Hylarthroleptis janenschi Ahl, 1925 "1923", Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1923: 100. Holotype: ZMB unnumbered in the original publication. Type locality: "Tendaguru". Synonymy by Barbour and Loveridge, 1928, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 50: 203.

Arthroleptis boulengeri — Barbour and Loveridge, 1928, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 50: 203. Mistakenly attributed to Ahl, 1925 "1923", in synonymy of Phrynobatrachus acridoides.

Phrynobatrachus acridoides — Parker, 1931 "1930", Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1930: 899.

Phrynobatrachus janenschi — Deckert, 1938, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1938: 131.

Phrynobatrachus medilineatus — Deckert, 1938, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1938: 132.

Phrynobatrachus (Phrynobatrachus) acridoides — Laurent, 1941, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 34: 201.

Common Names

East African Puddle Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 6; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 168; Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 227; Channing, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 250; Spawls, Mazuch, and Mohammad, 2023, Handb. Amph. Rept. NE Afr.: 88).

Zanzibar Puddle Frog (Broadley, 1973, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 10: 23; Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 6; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 168; Lambiris, 1990 "1989", Monogr. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, 10: 125).

Mababe Toad-frog (Van Dijk, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 17: 15).

Cope's Toad-frog (Van Dijk, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 17: 15).

Cope's Puddle Frog (Broadley, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 34). 

Small Puddle Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 6; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 168).

Zanzibar River Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 103).

Eastern Puddle Frog (Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 304).

Distribution

Sahel and savanna from central and coastal Kenya and southern Somalia south to Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, and KwaZulu-Natal, Rep. South Africa; possibly into eastern Uganda, eastern Zambia, and Swaziland.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe

Likely/Controversially Present: Eswatini

Comment

See De Witte, 1941, Explor. Parc Natl. Albert, Miss. G.F. de Witte (1933–1935), 33: 74–80, Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 140–141, and Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 158–159, for synonymy and account. Largen, 1997, Tropical Zool., 10: 70, noted that no records for Sudan or Kenya were known. Largen, 2001, Tropical Zool., 14: 289, noted that earlier records of this species from Eritrea were based on specimens of Tomopterna cryptotis and Phrynobatrachus natalensis. Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 304–305, Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 272–273, Channing, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 250–251, and Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 170–174, provided accounts. Uyeda, Drewes, and Zimkus, 2007, Proc. California Acad. Sci., Ser. 4, 58: 367–371, suggested that the Phrynobatrachus dispar group (Phrynobatrachus dispar and Phrynobatrachus leveleve) from Sao Tome and Principe is the sister taxon of an East African clade composed of Phrynobatrachus parvulus, Phrynobatrachus keniensis, Phrynobatrachus rungwensis, Phrynobatrachus minutus, and Phrynobatrachus inexpectatus. Frétey, 2008, Alytes, 25: 99–172, summarized the literature. In species group C of Zimkus, Rödel, and Hillers, 2010, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 55: 883–900. Mercurio, 2011, Amph. Malawi: 219–220, provided an account for Malawi. Harper, Measey, Patrick, Menegon, and Vonesh, 2010, Field Guide Amph. E. Arc Mts. Tanzania and Kenya: 236–237, provided a brief account and photograph. Du Preez and Carruthers, 2017, Frogs S. Afr., Compl. Guide: 314–315, provided an account, including a polygon range map, photograph, identification features, adult and larval morphology, habitat, and call. Ohler and Frétey, 2014, J. E. Afr. Nat. Hist., 103: 92, provided a brief discussion of a collection from northern Mozambique. Phaka, Netherlands, Kruger, and Du Preez, 2017, Bilingual Field Guide Frogs Zululand: 50, provided a photograph, Zululand regional map, and a brief account of life history and identification. Conradie, Bittencourt-Silva, Engelbrecht, Loader, Menegon, Nanvonamuquitxo, Scott, and Tolley, 2016, Zoosyst. Evol., Berlin, 92: 163–180, reported a population from Mount M'pàluwé, Nampula Province, Mozambique. Spawls, Wasonga, and Drewes, 2019, Amph. Kenya: 43, provided a photograph, range map, and brief characterization. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 290–291, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. In the Phrynobatrachus natalensis group of Goutte, Reyes-Velasco, and Boissinot, 2019, ZooKeys, 824: 53–70. Spawls, Mazuch, and Mohammad, 2023, Handb. Amph. Rept. NE Afr.: 86–87, provided an account addressing identification, natural history, conservation status, and range in Somalia, including a polygon map.   

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