Scotobleps gabonicus Boulenger, 1900

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

Scotobleps gabonicus Boulenger, 1900

Figure 4O

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Mayombe NP, Chimbete; –4.6631, 12.5447; 182 m a.s.l.; P3.138, FKH 1237–38 ; GenBank: PQ455954–56 .

Identification. Scotobleps gabonicus is a relatively large species (SVL = 52–70 mm) and the sole representative of a monotypic genus of Arthroleptidae . It can be distinguished from other Arthroleptidae by having large and small warts on the dorsum, head, and limbs, and webbed feet ( Channing and Rödel 2019). Specimens from the study area are almost identical (0.3% 16S p -distance) to material from Ivindo, Gabon (GenBank: MF511944 ) and identical to material for Lekoumou, Republic of the Congo (GenBank: KY080407 ). However, they differ by ∼5% (16S p -distance) from material from Cameroon and Nigeria (GenBank: KX671793, MT630558 ), which may suggest cryptic diversification in this group that warrants further investigation.

Biology and distribution. The species is widely distributed in the lowland forests of the Gulf of Guinea ( Channing and Rödel 2019). This material represents the first records from Cabinda Province, and adds a new amphibian genus to the country list ( Baptista 2024). All the specimens were found active at night near water or moving in open areas near a slow-moving stream in Lower Mayombe. Individuals tried to hide under leaf litter when they were approached.

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).