Arthroleptis carquejai Ferreira, 1906

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

Arthroleptis carquejai Ferreira, 1906

Figure 4B

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Caio Cacongo; –5.0618, 12.2588; 43 m a.s.l.; FKH 0978 ; GenBank: PQ455663. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Wanda; –4.6253, 12.4583; 221 m a.s.l.; FKH 1232 ; GenBank: PQ455665. • Mayombe NP, Bata Lunhuca; –4.5981, 12.4597; 215 m a.s.l.; P4.083; GenBank: PQ455664. • Mayombe NP, Mbongo Zimune ; –4.7442, 12.6914; 324 m a.s.l. ; P3.147; GenBank: PQ455666. • Mayombe NP, Quissoki; –4.6028, 12.8736; 336 m a.s.l.; P3.158; GenBank: PQ455667.

Identification. Arthroleptis carquejai is a bulky medium-sized Arthroleptis (SVL = 20– 29.7 mm). The specimens from Cabinda Province differ by ∼0.6% (16S p -distance) with material from near topotypic material from Golungo Alto, Kwanza Norte, Angola (> 10 km from the type locality at Cambondo). Our material is identical to material from Loufika, Republic of the Congo and differ by 0.2% (16S p -distance) from material from Tchikoulou, Republic of the Congo (Jongsma unpublished data). In addition, the specimens differ by ∼2.2% (16S p -distance) from type material of A. palava (GenBank: HM238187 ) and by 3.2% from A. kroskosua (GenBank: EU350211 ). Arthroleptis carquejai differs morphologically from A. palava in having well-defined black spots on the lateral surface of the head (absent in A. palava ) ( Blackburn et al. 2010), but similar to specimens of A. variabilis from Gabon ( Larson and Zimkus 2018).

Biology and distribution. Arthroleptis carquejai is known to occur in northern Angola, recorded in disturbed forest habitats and along logging roads (Ernst et al. 2020). However, the species was reported from Gabon by Dewynter and Frétey (2019), although the authors have not provided commentary on their material. Here we report the first records of the species in Cabinda Province ( Baptista 2024) and Republic of the Congo (Jongsma unpublished data). In Cabinda Province, the species was recorded from the Littoral Peneplain to higher elevations in Mayombe NP. Specimens were found moving in the leaf litter and on dirt roads at night.

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).