Phrynobatrachus francisci Boulenger, 1912

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 : 652

Phrynobatrachus francisci Boulenger, 1912

( Fig. 11B )

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Togo • 1 ♂, 2 ♀; Kanté; MNHN-RA-1994.4457-4459 • 9 ♂, 1 ♀; Tsévié ; MNHN-RA-1997.2518-2526 • 2 ♀; Aou Losso ; MNHN-RA-2008.0200, MNHN-RA-2008.0201 • 3 ♀; Atakpamé ; MNHN-RA-1994.4465-4467 .

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL. — Côte d’Ivoire • 18 ♂, 3 ♀; Lamto ; MRCA-B-104928-B-104930, B-104936-B-104937, MNHN-RA-1993.3605-3620 .

Sierra Leone • 1 ♂, 2 ♀; Kassewe; MNHN-RA-1995.878, MNHN-RA-1995.880 .

Tchad • 3 ♂, 2 ♀; Léré; MNHN-RA-1993.4284-4291 .

DESCRIPTION. — Small frog (SVL 15.0-23.0 mm ♂, 19.2-27.5 mm ♀), with a more or less stocky body. Snout short, pointed, slightly exceeding mouth slit. Head longer than broad (HW 27-37% SVL; HL 27-44% SVL). Tympanum reduced (TYD 5-9% SVL). Tibia rather long (TL 39-60% SVL). Webbing small with three phalanges free; webbing formula: I 1 – 2 II 1 – 3 III 2 – 3 IV 3 – 2 V. Upper snout smooth, rough interorbital space and loreal region, back with very prominent warts, flanks with small glandular warts; distinct supratympanic fold; dorsal side of forearm, tarsus and shank shagreen, that of the thigh with small glandular warts; ventral and posterior sides of thigh shagreen; throat, chest and belly smooth.

COLOURATION. — The general colouration of the back is brown (dark brown when stored in alcohol). In some specimens, the back has dark, light, irregularly shaped spots, especially on the varicosities. The dorsal parts of forearm, tarsus, tibia and thigh has dark and light transverse bars. The back of the thigh has light brown longitudinal bands. The chest, belly and underside of the thigh are whitish. The throat is white with some brown spots in some females and juveniles.

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. — The males are smaller than the females and have a subgular vocal sac marked by grooves or longitudinal gular folds; their skin more heavily pigmented than in the females, resulting in a dark or black colouration.

HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION. — Phrynobatrachus francisci is mainly a savannah species and rarely occurs in degraded forest areas. It is usually found near ponds, swamps and small rivers in savannah during the rainy season. Lamotte & Xavier (1966a) indicated that the species is more terrestrial than the more aquatic P. latifrons ( Ahl, 1924) . In Togo, it was reported by Bourgat (1979) and Segniagbeto et al. (2007). The distribution of the species as reported by Lamotte & Xavier (1966a) and Rödel (2000) extends from Senegal to Nigeria.

Figures

FIG. 11. — Representatives of anuran species from Togo in life: A, Phrynobatrachus calcaratus (Peters, 1863) (Kalaré); B, Phrynobatrachus francisci Boulenger, 1912 (Mango); C, Phrynobatrachus gutturosus (Chabanaud, 1921) (Assoukoko); D, Phrynobatrachus latifrons (Ahl, 1924) (Akloa); E, Phrynobatrachus natalensis (Smith, 1849) (Koui); F, Phrynobatrachus plicatus (Günther, 1859) (Assoukoko).