Nothophryne broadleyi Poynton, 1963
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2017.1376714 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D8B56C-FFB6-FFF1-FF4D-782849E8FA20 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Nothophryne broadleyi Poynton, 1963 |
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Nothophryne broadleyi Poynton, 1963 View in CoL
Mongrel Frog; Broadley’ s Mountain Frog ( Figs 3A–D View Figure 3 )
Synonym — Nothophryne broadleyi – Poynton 1963, p. 326; Poynton 1964, p. 212; Stewart 1967, p. 102; Stevens 1974, p. 8; Poynton & Broadley 1985, p. 173; Poynton & Broadley 1991, p. 262; Broadley 2001, p. 34; Channing 2001, p. 301; Mercurio 2011, p. 286.
Material examined — PEM A10714 View Materials (adult male) , SAIAB 96460.1 About SAIAB - 3 About SAIAB (three adult males) , BMNH 165-817 (adult female paratype) , BMNH 1973-373 (adult female) , BMNH 1973-375 and 276 (two adult males). All material listed here is from Mount Mulanje, southern Malawi .
Redefined Diagnosis — Nothophryne broadleyi can be distinguished from other Nothophryne by the following: presence of a long narrow median lingual process (approximately 1.0 mm) on the dorsal surface of the tongue ( N. baylissi sp. nov. – up to 0.5 mm long; N. inagoensis sp. nov. – less than 0.2 mm long; N. ribauensis sp. nov. – marginally elevated tubercle; N. unilurio sp. nov. – absent) ( Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ), tympanum clearly visible (obscured or barely visible in N. baylissi sp. nov.), and slower higher pitched call with evenly spaced notes (compared to faster and more complicated call structures in N. baylissi sp. nov. and N. ribauensis sp. nov.). The sequences of Nothophryne broadleyi differ from the other species of Nothophryne by 5–7% (16S p-distance) and 3–5% ( RAG 1 p-distance). Nothophryne broadleyi is allopatric with respect to all other Nothophryne species.
Description of adult male (PEM A10714 View Materials ) —Small to medium size frog, SUL 17.8 mm. Body is slender, dorsolateral flattened, widest at armpits. Head broad (HW/SUL 0.40), rounded from above in profile, head length is moderate to short (HL/SUL 0.32). Canthus rostralis rounded, straight from eye to nostril, loreal region slightly sloped outwards towards nostrils. Nostrils small, rounded, directed laterally, teardrop shaped angled downwards and backwards to eye, positioned slightly closer to the eye than the snout (EN/SL 0.48). Internarinal distance is larger than distance between eye and nostril (IND/EN 1.46). Eyes directed anterolaterally, the eyes protrude, and not visible from below, moderate in size (ED/HW 0.31; ED/HL 0.39), nearly equal to interorbatial distance (ED/IOD 1.2). Distance between anterior corners of eyes is equal to the internarinal distance (IOD/IND 0.54). The angle of the jaw slopes slightly upwards posteriorly from snout to just behind eye level. Tympanum clearly visible, with no clear glandular ridge above tympanum from eye to base of forearm. Jaws without maxillary and premaxillary teeth, lower jaw with small anterior vomerine odontophore with central projection; choanae small, round, located at anterior margins of the roof of the mouth; tongue long (2.9 mm), same width proximally to distally (∼ 2.2 mm), slightly bifurcated distally, 75% attached to lower jaw, narrow median lingual process present on the dorsal surface of the tongue.
The dorsal surfaces of the head, trunk and limbs are rough, with glands and skin folds present; the rictal gland is smooth slightly elevated from angle of jaw to form a continuous posteriorly directed ridge just above arm insertion, with numerous white tipped asperities. Supratympanic fold inconspicuous; throat with enlarged anterior scattered asperities (forming six randomly scattered deep rows), scattered asperities (forming 2–3 randomly scattered deep rows) along the lateral margins of jaw to just behind jaw angle. No gular pouch or flap present, a small slit on the inside of the mouth at the angle of the jaw gives access to the vocal sac. Ventrally smooth, upper jaw protruding over lower jaw, with very light mottled appearance, vocal sac dark anteriorly, getting mottled to about arm insertion ( Fig. 3D View Figure 3 ).
Forelimbs stubby, hand small (HAL/SUL 0.23), fingertips bluntly rounded and slightly swollen. Relative finger lengths I <II <IV <III; subarticular tubercles distinct, rounded, with one on each finger, no proximal subarticular present. No webbing between fingers. Thenar tubercle small, rounded, partially obscured by nuptial pad that reaches the distal phalanx of the first finger; two palmar tubercles small, rounded, and smooth; inner and outer metacarpal tubercle absent. One very small mid-supernumerary palmar tubercle present on the palm.
Hind limbs moderately long (TL/SUL 0.51; FL/SUL 0.45), feet nearly equal in length of tibia (TL/FL 1.1); thighs are moderately developed, with rough elevated glands on the inner posterior faces; relative toe lengths are I <II <III <V <IV. The toe tips are slightly expanded; subarticular tubercles: one on Toes I to III, two on Toes IV and V. No webbing between toes. Inner metatarsal tubercle conical and prominent, outer metatarsal tubercle absent.
Colour in life ( Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ) —The dorsum green with darker raised glands covered with small white tipped asperities, dorsal lighter yellow to white vertebral line present, light yellow to white interorbital band present, bordered behind by a darker bar. Venter is clear with slight black mottling and blotches. Nuptial pads prominent, but lighter than rest of fingers. Arms and legs are strongly cross-banded.
Colour in preservative —The dorsum dark brown with small white tipped asperities on the darker raised glands, dorsal lighter vertebral line present. Venter immaculate white with bold black pigmentation, throat finely and evenly black pigmentation up to anterior chest region in line with forearms. The inner thighs and anterior abdomen free of pigmented, forearms slightly pigmented.
Variation —All males examined showed similar body proportions to the male described above ( Table 2; Supplementary Table 4). The males range in SUL from 16.6–19.2 mm. All males examined had a light vertebral line, also reported in most specimens (male and females) examined previously ( Poynton & Broadley 1985). SAIAB 96460.1 and 96460.3 have fewer asperities on dorsum, warts and are mostly confined to the outer edges of the throat. SAIAB 96460.1 has three larger mid palmer tubercles than other males examined. Males up to 20 mm and females up to 27.5 mm ( Poynton & Broadley 1985). In males, the throat has a more blotched patterning compared to evenly pigmented females.
Advertisement call —The following call description is based on a single male that was calling from a concealed position amongst moss, located on an exposed rock surface with a film of water running from a seepage ( Fig. 4A View Figure 4 ). The call sounds like a stretched out “trrrr”, which is repeated up to nine times in less than 45 seconds or at a rate of 12 calls per minute with the dominant frequency at 3 469 Hz and the fundamental frequency
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at 1 734 Hz. The call duration is 0.3 ± 0.1 seconds (s) and is separated from the next call by 5.3 ± 1.4 s (n = 9). Each call comprises out of three to eight evenly spaced notes. Separate note duration is 5.7 ± 1.3 milliseconds (ms), with 40.0 ± 7.5 ms interval between successive notes. The only previous description of Nothophryne broadleyi call is described as a “weak chirp” ( Poynton & Broadley 1985; Channing 2001).
Natural History —Collected under rocks on the summit of Mount Mulanje (2 715 m above sea level – asl) ( Poynton 1963) and under moss (Cunningham pers. comm. 2010) ( Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ). Males call hidden underneath moss growing on the surface of the rock near seepages. Eggs are laid in wet moss near seepages. Egg diameter about 1.5 mm, with a clutch size up to 30 eggs. Tadpoles disperse by moving across wet rock ( Poynton & Broadley 1985).
Distribution —Currently only known from the Mount Mulanje isolate in southern Malawi ( Poynton & Broadley 1985; Mercurio 2011). Poynton & Broadley (1985) suggest that there might be a second species present on the lower slopes on Mount Mulanje.
| PEM |
Port Elizabeth Museum |
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