Strongylopus fasciatus (Smith, 1849)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Pyxicephalidae > Subfamily: Cacosterninae > Genus: Strongylopus > Species: Strongylopus fasciatus

Rana fasciata Smith, 1849, Illust. Zool. S. Afr., 3 (Part 28): pl. 78, fig. 1. Type(s): BMNH, including BMNH 1947.2.2.61 (originally 1845.5.25.20) by museum records, which has some bearing on the subsequent nomenclatural actions so this requires investigation (DRF). BMNH 1858.11.25.127 designated neotype for Rana fasciata Burchell, 1824, by Parker and Ride, 1962, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 19: 290–292; this neotype regarded as lectotype of Rana fasciata Smith, 1849, by Opinion 713, Anonymous, 1964, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 21: 352–354 (see comment) and Opinion 1920 (Anonymous, 1999, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 56: 94–95). Type locality: "widely spread over Southern Africa"; given as Cape of Good Hope, Rep. South Africa by XXX; Greig, Boycott, and De Villiers, 1979, Ann. Cape Prov. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), 13: 27, noted that locality data associated with the BMNH specimens were simply "Africa". See discussion by Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 101. Placed on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology by Opinion 713, Anonymous, 1964, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 21: 352.

Rana fasciata fasciataBarbour and Loveridge, 1928, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 50: 197, by implication.

Strongylopus fasciatus — Van Dijk, 1966, Ann. Natal Mus., 18: 259; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 353.

Strongylopus fasciatus fasciatus — Van Dijk, 1977, Zool. Afr., 12: 178; Channing, 1981, Monit. Zool. Ital., N.S., Suppl., 15: 334.

Rana (Stronglylopus) fasciataDubois, 1981, Monit. Zool. Ital., N.S., Suppl., 15: 233, by implication; Dubois, 1987 "1986", Alytes, 5: 50; Dubois, 1992, Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 61: 334.

Common Names

Striped Grass Frog (Hewitt, 1937, Guide Vert. Fauna E. Cape Province, Rept. Amph. Fishes: 95; Broadley, 1971, Puku, 6: 113; Broadley, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 34; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 140).

Striped Rana (Wager, 1965, Frogs S. Afr.: 153; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 140).

Long-toed Frog (Rose, 1950, Rep. Amph. S. Afr.: 39; Rose, 1962, Rep. Amph. S. Afr., Ed. 2: 40).

Striped Stream Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 140; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 422; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 353; Boycott, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 309).

Long-toed Grass Frog (Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 79).

Long-toed Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 140).

Striped Long-toed Frog (Lambiris, 1990 "1989", Monogr. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, 10: 98).

Striped Frog (Van Dijk, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 17: 15; Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 107).

Tanganyika Striped Grass Frog (Ananjeva, Borkin, Darevsky, and Orlov, 1988, Dict. Amph. Rept. Five Languages: 122).

Distribution

Southern South Africa along the southern and east coast to Zimbabwe, western Mozambique, and southern Zambia, in grasslands; expected in Lesotho and eastern-most Botswana. 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Likely/Controversially Present: Botswana, Lesotho

Comment

See Opinion 713, Anonymous, 1964, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 21: 352–354, in which uses of Rana fasciata (including uses by Tschudi, 1838, and Duméril and Bibron, 1843) were suppressed for the purposes of homonymy and priority under the plenary powers of the Commission of Zoological Nomenclature. In addition, Rana fasciata Smith, 1849, was placed on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology. Subspecies reviewed by Poynton, 1964, Senckenb. Biol., 45: 203–205. See also Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 137–139, and Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 100–102. See accounts by Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 353, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 92, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 422–423. Channing, Rödel, and Channing, 2012, Tadpoles of Africa: 349–350, provided information on comparative larval morphology. Du Preez and Carruthers, 2017, Frogs S. Afr., Compl. Guide: 450–451, provided an account, including a polygon range map, photograph, identification features, adult and larval morphology, habitat, and call. Phaka, Netherlands, Kruger, and Du Preez, 2017, Bilingual Field Guide Frogs Zululand: 69, 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.: 360–361, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. Channing, Schmitz, Zancolli, Conradie, and Rödel, 2022, Rev. Suisse Zool., 129: 243–281, reported on molecular phylogenetics, morphology, distribution, and advertisement call. Dorse and Dorse, 2023, Field Guide Fynbos Fauna: 50–51, provided a brief account, polygon range map for the Cape Region of South Africa, and photograph. 

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