Hyperolius castaneus

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Hyperolius castaneus
Hyperolius castaneus

Hyperolius castaneus

Systematics
without rank: Amphibians (Lissamphibia)
Order : Frog (anura)
Subordination : Neobatrachia
Family : Reed frogs (Hyperoliidae)
Genre : Hyperolius
Type : Hyperolius castaneus
Scientific name
Hyperolius castaneus
Ahl , 1931

Hyperolius castaneus is a reed frog that lives on the slopes of the mountains thatborderthe Central African Rift . Since it is quite common in its relatively small area of ​​distribution, its population is an indicator of the threat to the mountain forests in the Western Rift , which also include the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes , on which the mountain gorillas are native.

features

Hyperolius castaneus is a medium-sized representative of the genus Hyperolius , which comprises around 130 species , males reach a length of 22 to 26 mm, females are 25 to 36 mm long. The color is variable and includes various green and brown tones, underneath and on the legs it can be yellowish to reddish-brown, on the flanks and feet chestnut to orange. There are variants that are brown on top, others have a green colored back. The green specimens often have diffuse darker spots on their backs, the brown ones can have irregular black spots that are bordered with bright green. At the side, the back color is limited by an irregular jagged line. The throat of the males is yellow. The pupils are horizontal.

Similar species

The frog resembles Hyperolius lateralis , with which it occurs in the same habitat. Some color variants of Hyperolius castaneus can hardly be distinguished from Hyperolius lateralis , although this is generally found in deeper regions. In 2013, the subspecies Hyperolius castaneus constellatus from the Itombwe Mountains was recognized as a separate species Hyperolius constellatus .

Subspecies

After the species Hyperolius constellatus was separated, the subspecies Hyperolius castaneus submarginatus from the Kabobo mountains was also assigned to the new species. In addition to the nominate form Hyperolius castaneus castaneus, only the subspecies Hyperolius castaneus rhodogaster remains , which occurs on the western Itombwe plateau at medium altitudes. Their phylogenetic status has not yet been adequately investigated.

distribution

According to the first descriptor Ernst Ahl , the type specimen comes from the "volcanic region northeast of Lake Kivu ", which, according to Roelke and Smith, can only refer to the Virunga volcanoes . These volcanoes are part of the western arm of the East African Rift Valley that forms the borders of Rwanda and Burundi with the Democratic Republic of the Congo . This part of the rift valley is also called the Albert Rift and extends over Lake Albert to Uganda . On the mountain slopes that flank the rift valley, Hyperolius castaneus occurs at altitudes between 1,600 and 2,850 meters. It lives in the moist subtropical to tropical mountain forests and lays its eggs in the waters or swamps of the high-montane grasslands. Its stocks are endangered by the clearing of the mountain forests.

Individual evidence

  1. Ulrich Sinsch, Eli Greenbaum, Chifundera Kusamba & Edgar Lehr: Rapid assessment of montane anuran communities in the Albertine Rift: Hyperolius castaneus Ahl, 1931 as an umbrella species for conservation. African Zoology, 46, 2, pp. 320-333, October 2011
  2. Hyperolius castaneus in amphibial web
  3. ^ Arne Schiøtz: Treefrogs of Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main 1999
  4. ^ A b Eli Greenbaum, Ulrich Sinsch, Edgar Lehr, Federico Valdez, Chifundera Kusamba: Phylogeography of the reed frog Hyperolius castaneus (Anura: Hyperoliidae) from the Albertine Rift of Central Africa: Implications for taxonomy, biogeography and conservation. Zootaxa, 3731, 4, pp. 473-494, 2013 doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3731.4.3
  5. Ernst Ahl: On the systematics of the African species of the tree frog genus Hyperolius (Amph. Anur.). Messages from the Zoological Museum in Berlin, 17, pp. 1–132, 1931
  6. CE Roelke & EN Smith: Herpetofauna, Parc National des Volcans, North Province, Republic of Rwanda. Check list. Journal of Species Lists and Distribution, 6, pp. 525-531, 2010
  7. Hyperolius castaneus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: A. Schiøtz & R. Drewes, 2004. Accessed December 11, 2013.

literature

  • Ernst Ahl : Amphibia. Anura III. Polypedatidae. In: FE Schulze & Willy Kükenthal (ed.): Das Tierreich. 55th delivery, pp. 1–475, Verlag Walter de Gruyter, Berlin & Leipzig 1931 (first description)
  • Arne Schiøtz: Treefrogs of Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main 1999 ISBN 3-930612-24-0

Web links

Commons : Hyperolius castaneus  - collection of images, videos and audio files