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Issue: Vol. 1970 No. 1: 5 Jan. 2009
Type: Article
Published: 2009-01-05
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1970.1.2
Page range: 52–63
Abstract views: 50
PDF downloaded: 2

A new cryptic Phrynobatrachus species (Amphibia: Anura: Phrynobatrachidae) from Ghana, West Africa

Museum of Natural History, Herpetology, Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Department of Wildlife and Range Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Museum of Natural History, Herpetology, Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 318, 1098 SM Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amphibia Phrynobatrachus intermedius sp. nov. Phrynobatrachus liberiensis Phrynobatrachus plicatus primary forest Upper Guinea Forest zone

Abstract

A new medium-sized Phrynobatrachus species from primary forest in south-western Ghana is described. Phrynobatrachus intermedius sp. nov. exhibits a combination of unique morphological and color characters including: compact body, short and pointed snout, a conspicuous dark face mask that covers the loreal and the tympanal area, a relatively smooth dorsum with only very feebly developed dorsal ridges, a black throat with few small white spots, a breast with blackish vermiculation, and moderately developed webbing. Furthermore, the analysis of mitochondrial 16S rRNA revealed that this new species differs from other West African species of the genus by a minimum distance of 3.4%. The new species is morphologically most similar to P. liberiensis (genetic distance 3.4–5.8 %) and P. plicatus (> 10% difference in the 16S rRNA fragment examined). P. liberiensis from the type locality of the new species are genetically more distant to the new species than those from other West African localities.

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