Amnirana galamensis (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Ranidae > Genus: Amnirana > Species: Amnirana galamensis

Rana galamensis Duméril and Bibron, 1841, Erp. Gen., 8: 367. Type(s): Holotype: Not mentioned by number; MNHNP 4442 registered as holotype, according to Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 36. Type locality: "Sénégal. . . dans les étangs de Galam".

Limnodytes bravanus Peters, 1882, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1882: 9. Syntypes: (2 specimens) presumably originally in ZMB, assumed to be lost by Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 140. Type locality: "Brava", Somalia. Synonymy by Boulenger, 1897, Zool. Rec., 33: 34; Werner, 1908 "1907", Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Phys. Math. Naturwiss. Kl., 116: 71; Loveridge, 1933, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 74: 366; Loveridge, 1936, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 22: 95; Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 364.

Rana oubanghiensis Mocquard, 1896, C. R. Séances 3rd Congr. Internatl. Zool., Leiden: 234. Holotype: MNHNP 1895.357, according to Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 38. Type locality: "haut Oubanghi", Central African Republic. Given as Yakoma Abiras, Haute Oubanghi, République Centrafricaine by XXX. Synonymy by Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Soc. Philomath., Paris, Ser. 8, 8: 44; Werner, 1908 "1907", Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Phys. Math. Naturwiss. Kl., 116: 71; Andersson, 1937, Ark. Zool., 29(16): 1-28; Perret, 1977, Rev. Suisse Zool., 84: 843.

Rana bravanus — Tornier, 1896, in Möbius (ed.), Deutsch Ost-Afr., 3: 92.

Rana bravana — Boulenger, 1897, Zool. Rec., 33: 34; Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 7: 351.

Rana (Rana) galamensis — Boulenger, 1920, Rec. Indian Mus., 20: 10; Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 36.

Rana fiechteri Scortecci, 1929, Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano, 68: 248. Types: MSNM 606 according to Conci, 1967, Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano, 106: 94; now MSNM 1327 according to Blackburn and Scali, 2014, Herpetol. Monogr., 28: 34, who discussed the material. Type locality: "Villaggio Duca degli Abruzzi", Somalia. Synonymy by Loveridge, 1936, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 22: 95; Perret, 1977, Rev. Suisse Zool., 84: 843.

Rana magretti Scortecci, 1929, Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano, 68: 180. Syntypes: MSNM (2 specimens)  according to Conci, 1967, Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano, 106: 94; not located by Blackburn and Scali, 2014, Herpetol. Monogr., 28: 37, and presumed lost. Type locality: "Ghinda", Eritrea. Synonymy by Loveridge, 1936, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 22: 95; Perret, 1977, Rev. Suisse Zool., 84: 843.

Rana somalica Scortecci, 1930, Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano, 69: 320. Syntypes: MSNM 642 (3 specimens) according to Conci, 1967, Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano, 106: 94; now MSNM Am 623 is surviving syntype according to Blackburn and Scali, 2014, Herpetol. Monogr., 28: 34, who discussed the material. Type locality: "Villaggio Duca degli Abruzzi, Somalia". Synonymy by Loveridge, 1936, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 22: 95; Perret, 1977, Rev. Suisse Zool., 84: 843.

Rana (Rana) galamensis — De Witte, 1930, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 19: 258, 261.

Rana galamensis bravana — Loveridge, 1936, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ., Zool. Ser., 22: 95; De Witte, 1941, Explor. Parc Natl. Albert, Miss. G.F. de Witte (1933–1935), 33: 49; De Witte, 1952, Result. Sci., Explor. Hydrobiol. Lac Tanganyika (1946–47), 3: 1-22; Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 364.

Dicroglossus galamensis — Deckert, 1938, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1938: 138; Schiøtz, 1964, Vidensk. Medd. Dansk Naturhist. Foren., 127: 6.

Rana (Rana) galamensis bravana — De Witte, 1952, Result. Sci., Explor. Hydrobiol. Lac Tanganyika (1946–47), 3: 5.

Hylarana galamensis bravana — Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 121.

Hylarana galamensis galamensis — Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 121, by implication.

Hylarana galamensis — Perret, 1977, Rev. Suisse Zool., 84: 845.

Rana (Hylarana) galamensis — Dubois, 1987 "1986", Alytes, 5: 42, by implication.

Rana (Hydrophylax) galamensis — Dubois, 1992, Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Lyon, 61: 325.

Amnirana galamensis — Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 268.

Hydrophylax galamensis — 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: 368.

Hylarana galamensis — Che, Pang, Zhao, Wu, Zhao, and Zhang, 2007, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 43: 1-13, by implication.

Amnirana galamensis — Fei, Ye, and Jiang, 2010, Herpetol. Sinica, 12: 33; Oliver, Prendini, Kraus, and Raxworthy, 2015, Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 90: 187.

English Names

Marble-legged Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 107).

Golden-backed Frog (Ananjeva, Borkin, Darevsky, and Orlov, 1988, Dict. Amph. Rept. Five Languages: 122).

Lake Galam Frog (Ananjeva, Borkin, Darevsky, and Orlov, 1988, Dict. Amph. Rept. Five Languages: 122).

Galam White-lipped Frog (Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 268; Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 256).

Yellow-striped Frog (Emms, Jambang, Bah, Mankali, Rödel, and Barnett, 2005, Herpetol. Bull., London, 94: 11).

Galam Golden-backed Frog (Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 454).

Senegal Golden-backed Frog (Largen and Spawls, 2010, Amph. Rept. Ethiopia Eritrea: 164).

Distribution

Savannas from Senegal to southwestern Ethiopia and southern Somalia south to northeastern Zambia, southern Malawi and central Mozambique. See comment. 

Comment

Rana galamensis bravana, of Kenya and Somalia to eastern Dem. Rep. Congo and Mozambique, may be a distinct species according to Loveridge, 1957, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 117: 338. See Lanza, 1981, Monit. Zool. Ital., N.S., Suppl., 15: 163, Perret, 1977, Rev. Suisse Zool., 84: 843, for synonymy under Hylarana galamensis, including bravana, oubanghiensis, magrotti, fiechteri, and somalica. See brief account in Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 140-141, for south-central African populations. Rödel, 2000, Herpetofauna W. Afr., 1: 85-90, provided an account (as Hylarana galamensis, and by Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 268, and Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 256-258 (as Amnirana galamensis). Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 454-455, provided an account for southern Africa. Largen, 2001, Tropical Zool., 14: 333, commented on distribution. Padial and De la Riva, 2004, Rev. Esp. Herpetol., 18: 96, suggested that this species will be found in southern Mauritania. Schiøtz, 1963, Vidensk. Medd. Dansk Naturhist. Foren., 125: 25, provided records for Nigeria. Emms, Jambang, Bah, Mankali, Rödel, and Barnett, 2005, Herpetol. Bull., London, 94: 6-16, provided records for Gambia. Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 84-85, provided an account (as Amnirana galamensis) and suggested that eastern (bravanus) and western (galamensis) might be distinct species, identifiable by the presence of a strong outer metatarsal tubercle in western frogs. See account, photograph, and map for Ethiopia and Eritreaby Largen and Spawls, 2010, Amph. Rept. Ethiopia Eritrea: 164-165. Mercurio, 2011, Amph. Malawi: 299–300, provided an account for Malawi. Channing, Rödel, and Channing, 2012, Tadpoles of Africa: 364–365, provided information on comparative larval morphology. Harper, Measey, Patrick, Menegon, and Vonesh, 2010, Field Guide Amph. E. Arc Mts. Tanzania and Kenya: 288–289, provided a brief account and photograph. Ohler and Frétey, 2014, J. E. Afr. Nat. Hist., 103: 102–103, provided a brief discussion of a collection from northern Mozambique. : 281, suggested that nominal Amnirana galamensis is composed of two, possibly three species, of which Amnirana bravana and Amnirana oubanghiensis appear to be available names, should additional evidence confirm the existence of these lineages. Spawls, Wasonga, and Drewes, 2019, Amph. Kenya: 48, provided a photograph, range map, and brief characterization. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 386–386, provided brief accounts, photographs, and range maps for the two components of this nominal species, the Galam White-lipped Frog (Amnirana galamensis) from Senegal east to Cameroon, Chad, and Central African Republic), and the Golden White-lipped Frog (Amnirana sp. 'galamensis East') found in northern Eritrea and southern Somalia south through Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to Mozambique and Malawi. Ayoro, Segniagbeto, Hema, Penner, Oueda, Dubois, Rödel, Kabré, and Ohler, 2020, Zoosystema, 42: 547–582, discussed records, identification, and habitat in Burkina Faso.  

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