Hyperolius laticeps Ahl, 1931

Segniagbeto, Gabriel Hoinsoudé, Ohler, Annemarie, Rödel, Mark-Oliver, Luiselli, Luca & Dubois, Alain, 2024, Amphibians of Togo: taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, Zoosystema 46 (25), pp. 631-670 : 670

Hyperolius laticeps Ahl, 1931

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holophoront (holotype) • ZMB 46529 , juvenile collected by Leopold Fritz Wilhelm Conradt on 17.XII. 1892 in Togo ( Fig. 8 ) .

MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION

Specimen in mediocre condition, flattened; of very small size (SVL 14.2 mm), rather robust. Head of large size, narrower (HW 5.9 mm) than long (HL 6.7 mm; MN 5.31 mm; MFE 4.34 mm; MBE 2.59 mm), flat. Snout rounded, protruding, its length (SL 2.27 mm) shorter than horizontal diameter of eye (EL 2.72 mm). Canthus rostralis rounded, loreal region concave, at an obtuse angle to upper head. Interorbital space flat, about same width (IUE 1.75 mm) than upper eyelid (UEW 1.81 mm) but wider than internarial distance (IN 1.56 mm); distance between front of eyes (IFE 3.50 mm) about two third of distance between back of eyes (IBE 5.31 mm). Nostrils about as close to tip of snout (NS 1.04 mm) as to eye (EN 1.17 mm). Pupil oval. Tympanum indistinct, its diameter (TYD 0.65 mm) about two times its distance from eye (TYE 0.26 mm). Pineal ocellus absent. Vomerine ridges absent. Tongue large, oval, emarginate; median lingual process absent. Tooth-like bony projections on maxilla absent.

Forearm short, moderately thick (FLL 2.85 mm), shorter than length of hand (HAL 3.69 mm), not enlarged. Fingers I and II short, strong, fingers III and IV long (TFL 2.07 mm), strong. Relative length of fingers, shortest to longest: I < II < IV < III. Tips of toes rounded, enlarged, with circumventral grooves (WAI 0.37 mm; PAI 0.47 mm; WAII 0.40 mm; PAII 0.56 mm; WAIII 0.53 mm; PAIII 0.72 mm; WAIV 0.44 mm; PAIV 0.56 mm). Fingers I-IV with moderate webbing: I 2 – 2 II 1 ½ – 2 III 2 – 1 2/3 IV. Subarticular tubercles prominent, rounded, single, all present. Prepollex indistinct; palmar tubercles indistinct; supernumerary tubercles absent.

Shank three times longer (TL 5.9 mm) than their maximum width (TW 2.2 mm), shorter than thigh (7.3 mm) but longer than distance from base of internal metatarsal tubercle to tip of toe IV (FOL 5.57 mm). Toes short, strong; toe IV (FTL 3.31 mm) about third of distance from base of tarsus to tip of toe IV (TFOL 8.8 mm). Relative length of toes, shortest to longest: I < II < III <V < IV. Tips of toes rounded, enlarged with circumventral grooves (WPI 0.31 mm; PPI 0.34 mm; WPII 0.31 mm; PPII 0.40 mm; WPIII 0.40 mm; PPIII 0.50 mm; WPIV 0.40 mm; PPIV 0.40 mm; WPV 0.44 mm; PPV 0.62 mm). Webbing moderate: I 1 ½ – 2 II 1 ½ – 2 III 2 – 2 ½ IV 2 ½ – 0 V (MTTF 3.24 mm; MTFF 3.37 mm; TFTF 2.07 mm; FFTF 2.27 mm). Dermal ridge along toe V present, from tip of toe to its proximal end. Subarticular tubercles rounded, simple, all present. Inner metatarsal tubercle flat, short, oval; its length (IMT 0.40 mm) three times in length of toe I (ITL 1.18 mm).Tarsal ridge, outer metatarsal, supernumerary and tarsal tubercles absent.

Skin of dorsal parts of body: snout, between eyes, side of head smooth; supratympanic fold absent; co-ossified skin on head absent; back and flanks smooth. Dorsolateral folds absent. Dorsal parts of limbs smooth. Skin of ventral parts of body and thigh: throat and chest smooth; belly and thigh with regularly set glandular warts (“treefrog belly skin”). No macroglands.

COLOURATION IN ALCOHOL

Dorsal and lateral parts of head and body: dorsum light brown with slightly darker indistinct transverse bands; upper part of flanks light brown; lower flank ivory white; loreal region whitish; tympanic region and tympanum light brown; upper lip whitish. Dorsal parts of limbs: forelimb, dorsal part of hind legs light brown; posterior part of thigh whitish. Ventral parts: throat and margin of throat whitish with indistinct light brown spots; chest, belly and thigh light brown. Webbing: light yellowish.

SEX IDENTIFICATION

Not checked.

Figures

FIG. 8. — Scatterplot of Factor 2 ad 3 of Principal component analysis including 28 size corrected variables (compare Table 2). With green signs, Leptopelis Günther, 1859 species; yellowish, reddish or violet signs, Hyperolius Rapp, 1842 species.