Hymenochirus feae ( Boulenger, 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

Hymenochirus feae ( Boulenger, 1906)

Figure 7M

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Mayombe NP, Chilito, Mbundo; –4.7196, 12.5110; 336 m a.s.l.; P3.544; GenBank: PQ455731 .

Identification. A medium-sized (SVL = 42–46 mm) flat aquatic frog with characteristic fingers and toes characteristically fully webbed to the tips ( Boulenger 1906). Large heads, dark brown to black dorsal coloration, different wart sizes along the body,and two distinctive black claws on the feet. The specimen reported here represents the first genetic sample of the species,which differs by 3.4–3.6% from H. boettgeri from Mbemba and Simombondo, Republic of the Congo (GenBank: OR360735 and KY080144 , respectively).

Biology and distribution. Previously only known from Gabon. However, Nagy et al. (2013) reported Hymenochirus sp. aff. feae from Luki, Bas-Congo, DRC, which may represent the same species. This record represents a new genus for Angola ( Baptista 2024). The specimen reported here was found in a small pond under permanent shade in a deep valley, surrounded by degraded and secondary forest in Lower Mayombe.

Figures

Figure 7. Species of the families Phrynobatrachidae, Pipidae, Ptychadenidae, Ranidae and Rhacophoridae recorded from from Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province, Angola. Codes in brackets represent field numbers. A. Phrynobatrachus auritus (P2.057) and B. (P2.033) from Vaku, Upper Mayombe, C. (P3.141) from Chimbete and D. (P3.191) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. E. P. aff. parvulus (P2.115) from Caio Cacungo. F. Amplectant pair of P. aff. parvulus from Sanga Wanda, G. (P3.135) from Chimbete, and H. (P3.124) Mbundu, Lower Mayombe. I. Phrynobatrachus sp. (P2.196) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe. J. Xenopus (Xenopus) allofraseri (P3.121) and K. Xenopus (Xenopus) andrei (P3.533) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. L. Xenopus (Silurana) mellotropicalis (P3.176), from Quissoki, Upper Mayombe. M. Hymenochirus feae (P3.544) from Mbundo, Lower Mayombe. N. Ptychadena anchietae (P3.107) from Sanga Wanda, Lower Mayombe. O. Ptychadena mascareniensis OUT 6 (P3.168), Lombe River, Vaku, Upper Mayombe. P. Ptychadena perreti (P2.214) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe Q. Ptychadena taenioscelis (P1.141) from Tando Zinze. R. Hylarana (Amnirana) albolabris (P3.154) from Quissoki and S. Hylarana (Amnirana) aff. lepus (P2.187) from Miconge, Upper Mayombe. T. Chiromantis rufescens (P9.072) from South of Dinge. Photographs by PVP (A–E, G–T), JLR (F).