Tomopterna cryptotis ( Boulenger, 1907 )

Channing, Alan & Du Preez, Louis H., 2020, Taxonomic status of the cryptic sand frog, Tomopterna cryptotis (Anura, Pyxicephalidae), Alytes 37 (3 - 4), pp. 1-21 : 9

Tomopterna cryptotis ( Boulenger, 1907)

(fig. 5)

Synonymy

Rana cryptotis Boulenger, 1907 .

Chresonymy

Tomopterna delalandii – Günther 1858 (part); Ahl 1934.

Rana delalandii – Boulenger 1882 (part); Hewitt & Power 1913.

Pyxicephalus delalandii – Boulenger 1910 (part).

Rana delalandii cryptotis – Loveridge 1936, Mertens 1971.

Rana delalandii delalandii – Mertens 1955.

Pyxicephalus delalandii cryptotis – Pienaar 1963.

Tomopterna cryptotis – Passmore & Carruthers 1979; Poynton & Broadley 1985.

We offer the following additional data to support the original description.

Morphology

The presence of a prominent tarsal tubercle adjacent to the tibio-tarsal articulation, and a distinct outer metatarsal tubercle, is diagnostic (fig. 1). This species is morphologically otherwise similar to other species of Tomopterna .

Advertisement call

The call consists of a repeated series of brief notes, with the second harmonic emphasised between 2626 kHz and 2900 kHz. The first harmonic is between 1.3 and 1.4 kHz (fig. 2, 3).

Genetics

The GenBank accession numbers for 16S sequences are AY255095, MK335429, MK335430, MN057687 – 89, MN057691 , and for tyrosinase exon 1 MN062053 – 56, MN062058 – 59. Additional data from Bittencourt-Silva (2019) includes MK464282 –86.

Ploidy

Tomopterna cryptotis has a ploidy of 2 n = 26, according to a study by Channing

& Bogart (1996) on material from Shamvura in Namibia.

Distribution

Presently this species is known from Angola, northern Botswana, southwestern Zambia and northern Namibia (fig. 6). Further studies are required to determine its range.