Phrynobatrachus gutturosus (Chabanaud, 1921)

Guttural Puddle Frog

Material: Two females, NGK-Nimba 0095 (Fig. 11H), NGK-Nimba 0096, and two males, NGK-Nimba 0097, NGK-Nimba 0098.

Comments: A complex of cryptic West African puddle frogs is currently known under the name Phrynobatrachus gutturosus (Rödel 2000; Zimkus et al. 2010). One species of that complex, P. afiabirago, has been recently described from southern Ghana (Ofori-Boateng et al. 2018). Frogs from this complex became known from primary rainforest to dry savannah habitats (Rödel 2000; Rödel and Spieler 2000; Ernst and Rödel 2006; Nago et al. 2006; Hillers et al. 2008c), and their taxonomic status requires further research. We found P. gutturosus among leaf litter in a cocoa and coffee plantation (07°31.928’N, 008°25.401’W; 425 m asl). The plantation comprised a large pond and was used by people from the Yéalé village to grow rice. Numerous individuals of P. gutturosus were seen after sunset (1830 h GMT). Two females measured 18.5 and 20.0 mm.