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Issue: Vol. 3172 No. 1: 25 Jan. 2012
Type: Articles
Published: 2012-01-16
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3172.1.5
Page range: 65–68
Abstract views: 58
PDF downloaded: 1

Description of two Werneria tadpoles from Cameroon (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae)

Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Institute of Biogeography, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Amphibia Anura Bufonidae

Abstract

Detailed tadpole descriptions for toads of the genus Werneria Poche, 1903 have been only published for W. preussi (Matschie, 1893) (Mertens 1938) and W. tandyi (Amiet, 1972) (Rödel et al. 2004), the latter description assigned to this species with reservation. A few characters of W. bambutensis (Amiet, 1972) tadpoles were mentioned by Amiet (1972). So far the assignment of tadpoles to a particular Werneria species was based on geography (locality and altitude). Three Werneria species, W. mertensiana, W. tandyi and W. bambutensis (Fig. 1), co-occur on Mount Manengouba in south-western Cameroon. There they inhabit forests and river edges in different but slightly overlapping altitudes (Rödel et al. 2004). During recent field work (November / December 2010) on Mount Manengouba we collected Werneria tadpoles which are herein described.

References

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    Amiet, J.-L. (1972) Description de trois Bufonidés orophiles du Cameroun appartenant au groupe de Bufo preussi Matschie (Amphibiens Anoures). Annals de la Faculté des Sciences du Cameroun, 11, 121–140.

    Amiet, J.-L. (1976) Observations anatomiques et biologiques sur le genre Werneria Poche, 1903. Revue de Zoologie Africaine, 90, 33–45.

    Gosner, K.L. (1960) A simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. Herpetologica, 16, 183–190.

    Mertens, R. (1938) Herpetologische Ergebnisse einer Reise nach Kamerun. Abhandlungen der senckenbergischen naturforschenden Gesellschaft, 442, 1–52.

    Rödel, M.-O., Schmitz, A., Pauwels, O.S.G. & Böhme, W. (2004) Revision of the genus Werneria Poche, 1903, including the description of two new species from Cameroon and Gabon (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae). Zootaxa, 720, 1–28.

    Rödel, M.-O., Sandberger, L., Doumbia, J. & Hillers, A. (2009) Revalidation of Phrynobatrachus maculiventris Guibé & Lamotte, 1958 and description of its aposematic coloured tadpole. African Journal of Herpetology, 58, 15–27.