Phrynobatrachus aff. parvulus (Boulenger, 1905)

Lobón-Rovira, Javier, Lobón-Rovira, Baptista, Ninda L, Clark, Tyron, Verburgt, Luke, Jongsma, Gregory Fm, Conradie, Werner, and, Luis Veríssimo, Vaz, Pedro & Pinto, 2025, Filling the gaps: herpetological checklist of Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province (Angola) shed light on one of the most unexplored corners of tropical Central Africa, African Journal of Herpetology 74 (1), pp. 1-59 : 1-59

Phrynobatrachus aff. parvulus (Boulenger, 1905)

Figures 7E–H

Material. ANGOLA – Cabina Province • Caio Cacongo; –5.0618, 12.2588; 43 m a.s.l.; FKH 0979 ; GenBank: PQ455898. • Tando Zinze; –5.3068, 12.4985; 32 m a.s.l.; FKH 0587–90 ; GenBank: PQ455899–02. • Cacata; –5.3144, 12.4878; 38 m a.s.l.; FKH 0698–99 ; GenBank: PQ455903–04. • Mayombe NP, Chimbete; –4.6631, 12.5447; 182 m a.s.l.; P3.135; GenBank: PQ455905. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Mongo ; –4.6661, 12.4407; 146 m a.s.l.; P2.065; GenBank: PQ455906. • Mayombe NP, Mbundu; –4.6875, 12.4981; 127 m a.s.l.; FKH 1233 , P3.219; GenBank: PQ455907–08. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Wanda ; –4.6253, 12.4583; 221 m a.s.l.; FKH 1257 ; GenBank: PQ455909.

Identification. Phrynobatrachus parvulus is a species of small terrestrial frog within the P. mababiensis complex, which is not taxonomically resolved ( Zimkus and Schick 2010). The type locality of P. mababiensis is “Tsotsoroga Pan, Mababe Flats”, in Botswana, and the type locality of P. parvulus is “Bange Ngola” = Dande Angola, Malanje Province, Angola. Our material does not seem to be conspecific with anything published to date, being closest to material from Malanje Province, Angola (∼3.5% 16S p -distance; GenBank: MK036476 –78) and Zambia (∼4.2% 16S p- distance; GenBank: MK464392 –93). Thus, we ascribed this material to Phrynobatrachus aff. parvulus until more information becomes available.

Biology and distribution. Phrynobatrachus aff. parvulus appears to be widely distributed in the Littoral Peneplain and Lower Mayombe, being absent from the Coastal Drier Belt and Upper Mayombe. The species was found among leaf litter at night or moving during the day, often hiding on the forest floor under logs or fallen leaves, sometimes close to streams in mature forest, but also in secondary and degraded forest. Several specimens were found in amplexus during the rainy season at Chimbete, Lower Mayombe.

Figures

Figure 7. Species of the families Phrynobatrachidae, Pipidae, Ptychadenidae, Ranidae and Rhacophoridae recorded from from Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province, Angola. Codes in brackets represent field numbers. A. Phrynobatrachus auritus (P2.057) and B. (P2.033) from Vaku, Upper Mayombe, C. (P3.141) from Chimbete and D. (P3.191) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. E. P. aff. parvulus (P2.115) from Caio Cacungo. F. Amplectant pair of P. aff. parvulus from Sanga Wanda, G. (P3.135) from Chimbete, and H. (P3.124) Mbundu, Lower Mayombe. I. Phrynobatrachus sp. (P2.196) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe. J. Xenopus (Xenopus) allofraseri (P3.121) and K. Xenopus (Xenopus) andrei (P3.533) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. L. Xenopus (Silurana) mellotropicalis (P3.176), from Quissoki, Upper Mayombe. M. Hymenochirus feae (P3.544) from Mbundo, Lower Mayombe. N. Ptychadena anchietae (P3.107) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. O. Ptychadena mascareniensis OUT 6 (P3.168), Lombe River, Vaku, Upper Mayombe. P. Ptychadena perreti (P2.214) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe Q. Ptychadena taenioscelis (P1.141) from Tando Zinze. R. Hylarana (Amnirana) albolabris (P3.154) from Quissoki and S. Hylarana (Amnirana) aff. lepus (P2.187) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe. T. Chiromantis rufescens (P9.072) from South of Dinge. Photographs by PVP (A–E, G–T), JLR (F).