Leptodactylodon perreti Amiet, 1971

Mapouyat, Lissa, Hirschfeld, Mareike, Rödel, Mark-Oliver, Liedtke, H. Christoph, Loader, Simon P., Gonwouo, L. Nono, Dahmen, Matthias, Doherty-Bone, Thomas M. & Barej, Michael F., 2014, The tadpoles of nine Cameroonian Leptodactylodon species (Amphibia, Anura, Arthroleptidae), Zootaxa 3765 (1), pp. 29-53 : 41-42

Leptodactylodon perreti Amiet, 1971

Three tadpoles of L. perreti were examined and genotyped. All were found on Mount Oku in the Emfveh-mi forest, near Elak. ZMB 79084–86 (Gosner stages 25, 35, 37, respectively; Mount Oku, 6°13’42.4”N, 10°31’17.4”E, 2269 m, 23 August and 2 September 2012). Tadpoles were collected in a stream in montane forest, ca. 300 m from the farm-forest boundary. The description is based on all three tadpoles.

Morphology. Long and slender tadpoles with long, muscular tail; body elliptical in dorsal and narrow elliptical lateral view (see Fig. 3 in Cruz et al. 2013); body length 36.2–39.3% (N= 3) of total length; body width 47.2– 57.9% (N= 3) of body length; body widest at level of spiracle; snout rounded in dorsal view; nostrils oval and situated lateroventrally; nostrils equidistant from eye and snout tip (closer to eye Cruz et al. 2013); eye diameter 11.7–12.4% (N= 3) of body length; inter-orbital distance slightly exceeds inter-nostril distance; tail fins narrow; narrow dorsal fin originates distinctly posterior to tail base (3.1–3.5 mm), running almost parallel to muscular tail axis; ventral fin originates at tail base, only slightly narrower than dorsal fin, runs parallel to tail axis; tail tip roundish to slightly pointed; tail axis broad, continuously converging towards tail tip; body height equal to or slightly less than total tail height; maximum height of tail axis 67.2–70.7% (N= 3) of total tail height; vent tube dextral; lateral sacs present, extending from spiracle to end of body, covering lower two thirds of flanks; short spiracle, sinistral, translucent, opening lateral, not visible in dorsal view, originating slightly anterior (N= 1) or posterior (N= 2) of mid-body; mouth opening frontal; labial tooth row formula 0/0; both jaw sheath completely keratinized, serrated, almost straight and narrow; two small caniniform projections (fangs) towards edges of lower sheath; lower jaw slightly bent; median part of lower jaw with indistinct needle-like cusps ( Fig. 11 b; Channing et al. 2012: 8); four distinct serrations abaxial to fangs; broad semicircular posterior lip covered with 21 large papillae ( Fig. 11 a; Channing et al. 2012: 30); arrangement of papillae symmetrical to vertical body axis; papillae arranged in two semicircular rows; short, very depressed w-shaped skin fold on lower lip, just posterior to lower jaw sheath; oral disc width 29.8–33.3% (N= 3) of body length; mouth width 22.2–28.6% (N= 2) of oral disc width.

ZMB 79084 (Gosner stage 25) had a total length of 38.3 mm (body length: 10.8 mm; tail length: 27.5 mm). Our most advanced tadpole (ZMB 79086, Gosner stage 37) measured 48.2 mm total length (body length: 12.8 mm; tail length: 35.4 mm). Cruz et al. (2013) report total lengths of 45.1 and 51.6 mm in Gosner stage 25 tadpoles. Metamorphs with completely resorbed tails measure 15.5–17.5 mm SVL ( Amiet 1980).

Coloration in preservation. Pale to deep dark brown dorsal parts of body and tail, dense irregular dark mottling; venter slightly lighter; fins with irregular dark mottling, more pronounced in dorsal parts, otherwise translucent cream-white; fins lighter than in other species.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Adult Leptodactylodon; a: L. bicolor (ZMB 77489); b: L. boulengeri (ZMB 79588); c: L. erythrogaster (voucher not collected); d: L. mertensi (ZMB 77500); e: L. ornatus ornatus (ZMB 78528); f: L. ovatus orientalis (ZMB 78536); g: L. perreti (BMNH 2008.304); h: L. ventrimarmoratus (BMNH 2008.469) (see Appendix 1 for origin of adults used in barcode comparisons).

FIGURE 11. Mouthpart (a) and jaw sheaths (b) of Leptodactylodon perreti, lacking caniniform projections.