Ptychadena anchietae (Bocage, 1868)

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

Ptychadena anchietae (Bocage, 1868)

Figures 5D & 7N

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Fazenda Mandarim; –5.0553, 12.0610; 14 m a.s.l.; P4.070; GenBank: PQ455921. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Mongo ; –4.6661, 12.4407; 146 m a.s.l.; P2.090; GenBank: PQ455916. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Wanda ; –4.6253, 12.4583; 221 m a.s.l.; P3.107−08, P3.207−08; GenBank: PQ455917–20. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Wanda entrance; –4.6304, 12.4714; 203 m a.s.l.; P3.524 (Tadpoles), P3.536 (Tadpoles); GenBank: PQ455924–25. • Mayombe NP, Mbundu ; –4.6875, 12.4981; 127 m a.s.l.; P4.102; GenBank: PQ455923. • Mayombe NP, Bata Lunhuca ; –4.5981, 12.4597; 215 m a.s.l.; P4.092; GenBank: PQ455922. • Mayombe NP, Vaku; –4.6323, 12.8937; 319 m a.s.l.; FKH 0934 ; GenBank: PQ455926.

Identification. A species complex of medium-sized grass frogs (SVL = 51−62 mm) with flattened dorsal skin folds that are usually indistinct ( Channing and Rödel 2019). Dorsal colouration can vary from very light grey to deep reddish-brown, with vertebral stripe absent. The material from Cabinda Province is almost identical to unpublished topotypic material from Benguela Province, Angola. Therefore, we consider this material to be conspecific with Ptychadena anchietae sensu stricto, despite the high potential for cryptic diversity reported by Hübler (2016).

Biology and distribution. The Ptychadena anchietae complex is widely distributed in savannahs south of the Congo Basin and in East Africa (Hübler 2016). In mainland Angola, the species is often present in forest habitats, reported along the western escarpment and extending inland in northern moister habitats ( Baptista 2024). In Cabinda Province, the species is probably common and present in all ecological regions, from the Coastal Drier Belt to the Upper Mayombe. Our specimens were usually found in clearings, forest edges or disturbed areas.

Figures

Figure 5. Tadpoles found in Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province, Angola. Codes in brackets represent field numbers. A. Leptopelis aubryi (P3.545); B. Hyperolius ocellatus purpurescens (FKH 1266); C. Chiromantis rufescens (P3.200); D. Ptychadena anchietae (P3.524) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe; and E. Hylarana (Amnirana) albolabris (P3.212) from Mbundo, Lower Mayombe. Photographs by PVP.

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).