Leptopelis cf. aubryioides (Andersson, 1907)

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

Leptopelis cf. aubryioides (Andersson, 1907)

Figure 4H

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Mayombe NP, Sanga Wanda; –4.6253, 12.4583; 221 m a.s.l.; P3.514; GenBank: PQ455850 .

Identification. This is the smallest Leptopelis from Cabinda Province (SVL = 35−45 mm). It is slenderer than L. aubryi , lacks orange colouration on the eyes and has white spurs on the heels. The specimen reported from Cabinda Province differs by 2.2% (16S p -distance) from material collected at Lekoumou, Republic of the Congo (GenBank: KY080248 ), and by 4% from material collected at Mount Kupe, Cameroon (GenBank: KX671754 ). The large genetic distance may suggest cryptic diversification in the group; however, further analyses are needed to take taxonomic action. Consequently, we list the material from Cabinda Province as Leptopelis cf. aubryioides , pending further investigation.

Biology and distribution. An arboreal Leptopelis widely distributed in dense forests across the Gulf of Guinea ( Channing and Rödel 2019). This material represents the first record for Cabinda Province, and for Angola ( Baptista 2024). This specimen was found in a primary rainforest on a leaf about 4 m above ground in Lower Mayombe, and in sympatry with L. aubryi , L. boulengeri , L. cf. calcaratus and L. ocellatus .

Figures

Figure 4. Species of the families Arthroleptidae, Bufonidae and Dicroglossidae recorded from Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province, Angola. Codes in brackets represent field tissue numbers. A. Arthroleptis adelphus from Miconge, Upper Mayombe (P3.186). B. A. carquejai (P3.123) and C. A. aff. poecilonotus (P3.119) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. D. A. sylvaticus from Miconge, Upper Mayombe (P2.194). E. Cardioglossa leucomystax from Vaku (P2.031) and from F. Miconge (P2.218), Upper Mayombe. G. Leptopelis aubryi from Mbundu, Lower Mayombe (P3.214). H. L. cf. aubryioides (P3.514), I. L. boulengeri (P3.523) and J. L. cf. calcaratus (P3.513) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. K. L. cf. jordani (P3.163) from Lombe River, Vaku, Upper Mayombe. L. L. millsoni (P9.070) from South of Dinge. M. L. ocellatus (P3.113) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. N. L. rufus (P2.045) from Vaku, Upper Mayombe O. Scotobleps gabonicus (P3.139) from Chimbete, Lower Mayombe. P. Trichobatrachus robustus (P2.181) from Miconge, and Q. Nectophryne afra (P2.063) from Vaku, Upper Mayombe. R. N. aff. batesii (P3.224) from Mbundu, Lower Mayombe. S. Sclerophrys sp. (P2.042) from Vaku, Upper Mayombe. T. S. pusilla (P2.094) from Sanga Mongo, Lower Mayombe. U. S. regularis (P1.142) from Tando Zinze. V. S. tuberosa (P3.509) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. W. Hoplobatrachus occipitalis (P9.073) from South of Dinge. Photographs by PVP (A–J, L, N, P–T, V–W), JLR (K, M, O) and TB (U).