Leptopelis aubryi (Dumeril, 1856)

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

Leptopelis aubryi (Dumeril, 1856)

Figures 4G and 5A

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • between Dinge and Chindende; –5.1208, 12.3667; 15 m a.s.l.; FKH 0171–73 ; GenBank: PQ455803–05. • Fazenda Mandarim; – 5.0553, 12.0610; 14 m a.s.l.; P4.072; GenBank: PQ455845. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Mongo; –4.6661, 12.4407; 146 m a.s.l.; FKH 0954−55 , FKH 0961 , FKH 0968 , P2.091; GenBank: PQ455808–12. • Mayombe NP, Mbundu; –4.6875, 12.4981; 127 m a.s.l.; P3.214, P3.223, P4.098, P4.103–04; GenBank: PQ455813–14, PQ455847–49. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Wanda; –4.6253, 12.4583; 221 m a.s.l.; FKH 1225−28 , FKH 1261 ; GenBank: PQ455822– 26. • Mayombe NP, Bata Lunhuca; –4.5981, 12.4597; 215 m a.s.l.; P4.086; GenBank: PQ455846. • Mayombe NP, Miconge; –4.4860, 12.8780; 377 m a.s.l.; FKH 1030 , P2.231, P3.172; GenBank: PQ455834–36. • Mayombe NP, Vaku; –.6323, 12.8937; 319 m a.s.l.; FKH 0930 , FKH 0939 ; GenBank: PQ455837–38. • Mayombe NP, Lombe River , Vaku; – 4.6403, 12.935; 269 m a.s.l.; FKH 1247 , FKH 1249−50 , P3.166, P3.169, FKH 1252 , GenBank: PQ455839–44.

Identification. A small Leptopelis (SVL = 42–59 mm) with an orange upper margin to the eyes, often with a dark triangle between the eyes ( Channing and Rödel 2019). The specimens here reported are identical (16S p -distance) to material from Lekoumou, Republic of the Congo (GenBank: KY080240 ) and almost identical to material from Tchimbélé, Gabon (0.4% 16S p -distances; GenBank: KF888326 ).

Biology and distribution. The species is widely distributed in the Gulf of Guinea from Nigeria to northern Angola ( Marques et al. 2018; Channing and Rödel 2019; Ernst et al. 2020; Baptista 2024). The species can be found in branches near swampy areas, ponds and riverine areas in primary forest, but also in secondary forest and degraded forest edges ( Channing and Rödel 2019). In Cabinda Province, it is the most abundant Leptopelis species, present in all four main ecological zones. Often found low in bushes, leaves or branches, and in sympatry with all the other Leptopelis species recorded in the province.

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).

Figure 5. Tadpoles found in Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province, Angola. Codes in brackets represent field numbers. A. Leptopelis aubryi (P3.545); B. Hyperolius ocellatus purpurescens (FKH 1266); C. Chiromantis rufescens (P3.200); D. Ptychadena anchietae (P3.524) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe; and E. Hylarana (Amnirana) albolabris (P3.212) from Mbundo, Lower Mayombe. Photographs by PVP.