Amietia delalandii (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Pyxicephalidae > Subfamily: Cacosterninae > Genus: Amietia > Species: Amietia delalandii

Rana Delalandii Duméril and Bibron, 1841, Erp. Gen., 8: 388. Holotype: MNHNP, by original designation; syntypes reported as MNHNP 4473–74 by Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 36; possibly including MSNM Am 785 according toBlackburn and Scali, 2014, Herpetol. Monogr., 28: 41. Type locality: "environs du cap de bonne-Espérance", Rep. South Africa. Secondary homonym of Pyxicephalus delalandii Tschudi, 1838 (= Tomopterna delalandii) in Rana. Synonymy by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 50. See discussion of nomenclature by Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 132, and Channing and Baptista, 2013, Zootaxa, 3640: 501–520, who noted that the name is unavailable due to Article 59.3 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (1999).

Rana nyassae Günther, 1893 "1892", Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1892: 558. Holotype: BMNH 1947.2.31.30 (originally 1892.12.31.38), according to museum records. Type locality: "Shiré Highlands, principally upon Mount Zomba and Mount Milanji", Malawi. Synonymy with Rana angolensis by Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 329, 365. With Amietia delalandii by Channing, Dehling, Lötters, and Ernst, 2016, Zootaxa, 4155: 21. 

Rana quecketti Boulenger, 1895 "1894", Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1894: 643. Holotype: BMNH 1947.2.2.58 (originally 1893.9.11.2), according to Channing and Baptista, 2013, Zootaxa, 3640: 515, and museum records. Type locality: "near Pietermaritzburg, Natal", South Africa. Synonymy with Rana angolensis by Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., 5: 526; Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 108. Also placed provisionally in the synonymy of Rana angolensis by Boulenger, 1918, Trans. R. Soc. S. Afr., 7: 136. Synonymy with Rana delalandii by Channing, Dehling, Lötters, and Ernst, 2016, Zootaxa, 4155: 24

Rana Theileri Mocquard, 1906, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Paris, 12: 252. Holotype: MNHNP 1905.473 according to Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 39. Type locality: "Nelpruit (Transvaal)", Rep. South Africa. Synonymy with Rana angolensis by Boulenger, 1918, Trans. R. Soc. S. Afr., 7:136; Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 103. Considered a synonym of Rana oxyrhynchus by Loveridge, 1933, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 74: 346. Synonymy by  Channing, Dehling, Lötters, and Ernst, 2016, Zootaxa, 4155: 24. 

Rana delalandi — Scortecci, 1929, Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano, 68: 175-192.

Rana dracomontana Channing, 1978, Ann. Natal Mus., 23: 361. Holotype: NMP 6221, by original designation. Type locality: "Lesotho, top of Sani Pass (29° 35′ S, 29° 17′ E), 2872 m". Synonymy by  Channing, Dehling, Lötters, and Ernst, 2016, Zootaxa, 4155: 24. 

Rana (Rana) dracomontana — Dubois, 1987 "1986", Alytes, 5: 42.

Rana (Afrana) dracomontana — Dubois, 1992, Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 61: 334.

Afrana dracomontana — Visser and Channing, 1997, J. Afr. Zool., 111: 192.

Amietia dracomontana — Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green, and Wheeler, 2006, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 297: 366.

Amietia quecketti — Channing and Baptista, 2013, Zootaxa, 3640: 501. 

Amietia delalandii — Channing, Dehling, Lötters, and Ernst, 2016, Zootaxa, 4155: 24. 

English Names

Drakensberg Frog (Lambiris, 1988, in Branch (ed.), South Afr. Red Data Book, Amph. Rept.: 120 [as Rana dracomontana]).

Sani Pass Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 107 [as Rana dracomontana]).

Drakensberg River Frog (Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 257; Channing, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 271; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 398 [as Rana dracomontana]).

Delalande's River Frog (Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 354).

Distribution

Zambia, Malawi, western and northern Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Lesotho from 200–1500 m 

Comment

Prior to the revision of Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green, and Wheeler, 2006, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 297, placed in the Section Strongylopus, subgenus Afrana of Rana of Dubois, 1992, Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 61: 334. See accounts by Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 91-93 (as Rana quecketti), Lambiris, 1988, in Branch (ed.), South Afr. Red Data Book, Amph. Rept.: 120-121 (as Rana quecketti), Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 257-256 (as Rana quecketti), Channing, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 271-273 (as as Rana dracomontana), and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 398-399 (as Rana quecketti). Bates and Haacke, 2003, Navors. Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, 19: 131-132, discussed the species  (as Rana quecketti) in Lesotho.Channing and Baptista, 2013, Zootaxa, 3640: 501–520, discussed the systematics and nomenclature of the species (as Rana quecketti) within a larger discussion of the systematics of Amietia in southern Africa. Ohler and Frétey, 2014, J. E. Afr. Nat. Hist., 103: 101, noted some specimens, as Amietia cf angolensis, which they thought might represent Amietia quecketti, provided a brief discussion of a collection from northern Mozambique. Conradie, Bittencourt-Silva, Engelbrecht, Loader, Menegon, Nanvonamuquitxo, Scott, and Tolley, 2016, Zoosyst. Evol., Berlin, 92: 163–180, reported (as Amietia quecketti) populations from Mount Mabu and Mount Namuli (Zambezia Province) and Mount M'pàluwé (Nampula Province), Mozambique. See revision and account by Channing, Dehling, Lötters, and Ernst, 2016, Zootaxa, 4155: 24. See comment under Amietia angolensis for access to older literature that may address this species under the older umbrella name. Phaka, Netherlands, Kruger, and Du Preez, 2017, Bilingual Field Guide Frogs Zululand: 67, 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.: 354–355, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. Dubois, Ohler, and Pyron, 2021, Megataxa, 5: 420, included nominal Amietia quecketti in their analysis, but did not include nominal Amietia fuscigula, so did not test the proposition that these represent different lineages.  

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