Hoplobatrachus occipitalis (Günther, 1858)

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

Hoplobatrachus occipitalis (Günther, 1858)

Figure 4W

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Fazenda Mandarim; –5.0401, 12.0508; 14 m a.s.l. ; P4.069; GenBank: PQ455727. • between Dinge and Chindende ; –5.1208, 12.3667; 15 m a.s.l.; FKH 0177 ; GenBank: PQ455726. • Mayombe NP, Lombe River , Vaku; –4.6403, 12.935; 269 m a.s.l. ; sight record.

Identification. A large frog (104–160 mm) and sole representative of the genus in Africa , with a characteristic transverse groove behind the eyes, visible supratympanic folds and eyes positioned on the top of the head. Specimens from Cabinda Province are genetically identical to material from Malanje Province, Angola (GenBank: MK036439 ) , Tanzania (GenBank: AB272600 ) and Nigeria (GenBank: MH708922 ) .

Biology and distribution. Hoplobatrachus occipitalis is widely distributed in the sub-Saharan tropical savannahs from Senegal to Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in the east, and northern and western Angola in the south ( Channing and Rödel 2019). This species is likely common throughout Cabinda Province, and across most habitats excluding the interior of intact primary forests. This material was collected during the rainy season in temporary pools in highly disturbed areas, in farmland and urban environments, in both the Coastal Drier Belt and Littoral Peneplain. However, on a different occasion we also observed and recorded a species chorus in a temporary pool in partially cleared areas in Lower Mayombe.

Hyperoliidae

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).