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Type: Articles
Published: 2010-01-21
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Review of the genus Petropedetes Reichenow, 1874 in Central Africa with the description of three new species (Amphibia: Anura: Petropedetidae)

Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Université of Yaoundé I, Faculty of Science, Laboratory of Zoology, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Départment des Vertébrés Récents, Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Department of Herpetology and Ichthyology, C.P. 6434, 1211 Geneva 6, Switzerland
Amphibia Petropedetes euskircheni sp. nov. Petropedetes juliawurstnerae sp. nov. Petropedetes vulpiae sp. nov. Cameroon Equatorial Guinea Gabon Nigeria

Abstract

We review and summarize the present knowledge on Central African Petropedetes, discuss their taxonomy and describe three new species. We synonymise one name: P. newtonii is a junior synonym of P. johnstoni. Frogs from the African mainland, namely Cameroon and eastern Nigeria, assigned to “P. newtonii” in more recent literature, were misidentified. They are herein described anew as Petropedetes vulpiae sp. nov. Two further new taxa are morphologically similar to other described species. Petropedetes euskircheni sp. nov. is morphologically close to P. parkeri but differs foremost in the smaller size of the femoral glands in adult males. P. juliawurstnerae sp. nov. is morphologically similar to P. perreti and P. cameronensis. It can be distinguished from P. perreti by its less developed webbing and from P. cameronensis by the size of its tympanum and the occurrence of a tympanic papilla in males. A key to adult males of the currently known Central African Petropedetes species is given and an outlook on potential further new taxa is provided.

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