Sclerophrys sp.

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

Sclerophrys sp.

Figure 4S

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Mayombe NP, Vaku ; –4.6323, 12.8937; 319 m a.s.l.; FKH 0927−29 ; GenBank: PQ455939−41. • Mayombe NP, Chimbete; –4.6630, 12.5447; 195 m a.s.l.; P3.134; GenBank: PQ455942.

Identification. Individuals from Cabinda Province correspond morphologically to the S. funerea group (which includes S. funerea , S. kisoloensis and S. gracilipes ). It differs by 3.1% (16S p -distance) from material of S. kisoloensis from Uganda (GenBank: AF220891 ) and S. funerea from Capaia, Angola (GenBank: KY555640 ), both near the type locality of the respective species, and by ∼4.2% (16S p -distance) from a sequence of S. gracilipes from Likouala, Republic of the Congo (GenBank: KY079965 −66). However, it agrees morphologically by having webbing between toes and large parotoid glands, with well-developed warts scattered across the body ( Bocage 1866; Loveridge 1932). Furthermore, a fast 16S Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis suggests that this material clusters with the other three species. In addition, the material from Cabinda Province displays smooth ventral skin, either with a completely whitish colour or with light black speckles (versus immaculate white in S. kisoloensis , or with spiny skin and black with white speckles in S. funerea ), and different morphology of toes and webbing from the three species. Consequently, we ascribe the material from Cabinda Province to a candidate species ( Sclerophrys sp. ) within the S. funerea group, pending a taxonomic revision of the group, which is currently in progress.

Biology and distribution. Specimens belonging to this candidate species were found moving at night among leaf litter or crossing dirt roads in primary and secondary rainforest in both Upper and Lower Mayombe.

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).