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Issue: Vol. 3245 No. 1: 23 Mar. 2012
Type: Articles
Published: 2012-03-23
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3245.1.1
Page range: 1–29
Abstract views: 112
PDF downloaded: 2

The genus Astylosternus in the Upper Guinea rainforests, West Africa, with the description of a new species (Amphibia: Anura: Arthroleptidae)

Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Herpetology, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Herpetology, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Herpetology, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany Across the River Project, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, 164 Dama Road, Kenema, Sierra Leone
Department of Biology & Burke Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
University of Abobo-Adjamé, URES-Daloa, Department of Biology and Animal Physiology, Daloa, BP 150, Côte d´Ivoire
Department of Wildlife and Range Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
University of Abobo-Adjamé, URES-Daloa, Department of Biology and Animal Physiology, Daloa, BP 150, Côte d´Ivoire
Université d´Abobo-Adjamé, Laboratoire d’Environnement et Biologie Aquatique, UFR-SGE, 02 BP 801, Abidjan 02, Côte d´Ivoire
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Herpetology, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Herpetology, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
ONG Sylvatrop Guinée, BP 4720 Conakry, Guinée
University of Yaoundé I, Faculty of Science, Laboratory of Zoology, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Ecology & Conservation, Biocenter Grindel, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Zentrum für Experimentelle Molekulare Medizin, ZEMM - Zinklesweg 10, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Blvd 66045-7561, USA
Department of Biology & Burke Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Humboldt State University, Department of Wildlife Management, Arcata CA 95521, USA
Département de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Lomé, BP 1515, Lomé, Togo
Museum für Tierkunde, Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, A.B. Meyer Building, Germany
Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, Herpetology, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Amphibia Arthroleptidae Astylosternus laticephalus sp. nov. Astylosternus occidentalis biodiversity hotspot biogeography Ghana Ivory Coast

Abstract

Astylosternus laticephalus sp. nov. Rödel, Hillers, Leaché, Kouamé, Ofori-Boateng, Diaz & Sandberger is described fromeastern Ivory Coast and western and central Ghana, and compared to Astylosternus occidentalis Parker, 1931 from thewestern part of the Upper Guinea forest zone (western Ivory Coast, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone). Based on a com-prehensive sample, including specimens from the entire range, the latter species is re-described. The new species is char-acterized by a body shape typical for frogs of the genus Astylosternus, but has an exceptionally broad head, i.e. broaderthan in A. occidentalis. The basic dorsal pattern of A. laticephalus sp. nov. consists of a brownish to brownish red colour-ation with distinct red dots (red dots are only rarely present in A. occidentalis). The new species has bicoloured eyes withthe lower part of the iris being grey, the upper third of the iris is orange to red (A. occidentalis always has a uniform greyishiris). Males of the new species lack spines on the throat, belly (always present in A. occidentalis males), and a layer ofblack nuptial skin in the pectoral region (present in male A. occidentalis from western Guinea). Astylosternus laticephalussp. nov. differs from A. occidentalis by a mean pairwise genetic distance of 3.2% in the investigated part of the mitochon-drial 16S rRNA gene. Genetic divergence to the morphologically most similar Central African species, A. diadematus,was 11.9%. We briefly discuss the phylogenetic position of West African Astylosternus, hint on the possibility that thegenus might be paraphyletic and discuss the biogeography of West African Astylosternus, in particular with respect to forest cover fluctuations in the past.

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