Hyperolius platyceps (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

Hyperolius platyceps (Boulenger, 1900)

Figures 6R–S

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Fazenda Mandarim; –5.0553, 12.0610; 14 m a.s.l. ; P4.077; GenBank: PQ455793. • Caio Cacongo; –5.0618, 12.2588; 43 m a.s.l.; FKH 0977 ; GenBank: PQ455796. • Tando Zinze; –5.3241, 12.5073; 29 m a.s.l. ; FKH 0582 ; GenBank: PQ455797. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Mongo ; –4.6661, 12.4407; 146 m a.s.l. ; FKH 0949 , FKH 0956 , FKH 0974 ; GenBank: PQ455798–00. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Wanda ; –4.6270, 12.4527; 210 m a.s.l. ; P3.519; GenBank: PQ455801. • Mayombe NP, Bata Lunhuca ; –4.5981, 12.4597; 215 m a.s.l. ; P4.095−96; GenBank: PQ455794–95. • Mayombe NP, Miconge ; –4860, 12.8780; 377 m a.s.l. ; P3.174; GenBank: PQ455802.

Identification. A medium-sized (SVL = 33−40 mm) reed frog with two very different morphotypes. They either have dark dorsal blotches against a light background forming an hourglass pattern with a transverse band on the lower back ( Figure 6R ), or a dark green to brown dorsum with two broad dorsolateral white bands from snout to anterior insertion of the hind limbs, and yellow underparts ( Figure 6S ). Specimens from Cabinda Province differ from material collected from Talangai , Republic of the Congo (GenBank: MK509613 ), Ndombam , Cameroon (GenBank: MK509701 ) and Iguéla , Gabon (GenBank: MK509680 ) by>3% (16S p -distance), and from unpublished material from the remainder of Angola by a minimum of 2.8% (16S p -distance) ( Baptista 2024). The large genetic divergence may suggest some cryptic diversification. However, genetic material from the type locality is not available, therefore no taxonomic action can be taken at this point .

Biology and distribution. Widely distributed in West-Central Africa, from southern Cameroon to northern Angola ( Channing and Rödel 2019). The species is reportedly associated with degraded forest and swampy forest areas ( Channing and Rödel 2019), and in Cabinda Province it has been found in all four ecological zones considered, from sea level to around 400 m a.s.l., including primary moist forest and lowland degraded forest. Frequently found in syntopy with H. olivaceus .

Figures

Figure 6. Species of the family Hyperoliidae recorded from Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province, Angola. Codes in brackets represent field numbers. A. Afrixalus aff. dorsalis (P2.068) from Sanga Mongo, B. Mbundu (P3.127), Lower Mayombe and C. Tando Zinze (P1.150). D. Afrixalus osorioi (P3.175) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe. E. Afrixalus paradorsalis (P3.520) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe and F. Vaku (P2.060), Upper Mayombe. G. Hyperolius adspersus (P1.147) from Tando Zinze. H. Female Hyperolius ocellatus (P9.062) from South of Dinge and I. male H. ocellatus from Sanga Mongo, Lower Mayombe (P2.078) J. Hyperolius olivaceus (P3.173), K. (P2.222) and L. (P2.227) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe, and M. (P3.205) from Lower Mayombe. N. Hyperolius parallelus (P1.298) from Tando Zinze. O. Male Hyperolius pardalis (P3.143) from Chimbete, Lower Mayombe, and P. females of H. pardalis from Sanga Mongo, Lower Mayombe (P2.083) and Q. from South of Dinge (P9.058). R. Hyperolius platyceps (P2.067) and S. (P2.102) from Sanga Mongo, Lower Mayombe. T. Hylambates leonardi (P2.095) in amplexus, from Sanga Mongo, Lower Mayombe. Photographs by PVP (A–I, K–M, O–T), JLR (J) and TB (G, N).