Ptychadena arnei Perret, 1997

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 : 656

Ptychadena arnei Perret, 1997

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Togo • 1 ♂; Lomé ; MNHN-RA-2000.0993 .

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL. — Côte d’Ivoire • 15 ♂; Lamto; MNHN-RA-1993.6160, MNHN-RA-1996.3595, MNHN-RA-1996.3605-3607, MNHN-RA-1996.3609, MNHN-RA-1996.3611, MNHN-RA-1996.8788, MNHN-RA-1996.8909, MNHN-RA-1996.8928-8930, MNHN-RA-1996.8953-8955, MNHN-RA-1998.8961; 20 ♀; Lamto ; MNHN-RA-1993.6158, MNHN-RA-1994.5468, MNHN-RA-1996.3584, MNHN-RA-1996.3596, MNHN-RA-1996.3598, MNHN-RA-1996.3603, MNHN-RA-1996.3604, MNHN-RA-1996.3612, MNHN-RA-1996.8770, MNHN-RA-1996.8789, MNHN-RA-1996.8790, MNHN-RA-1996.8910, MNHN-RA-1996.8911, MNHN-RA-1996.8930-8932, MNHN-RA-1996.8956-8958, MNHN-RA-1998.8962 .

DESCRIPTION. — Medium sized frog (SVL 29.3-33.7 mm ♂, 31.2-38.9 mm ♀), with slender, elongated body. Snout pointed, protruding, extending beyond mouth slit. Head longer than broad (HW 26-27% SVL; HL 36-37% SVL). Tympanum distinct (TYD 4-7% SVL). Tibia long (TL 60-65% SVL). Webbing small, leaving several phalanges free; webbing formula I 2 – 2 ½ II 1 ½ – 3 III 2 – 3 IV 3 – 2 V. Back with four pairs of regularly symmetrical and continuous glandular folds, the innermost pair being short, the outermost forming the dorsolateral folds; skin of back finely granular.

COLOURATION. — The back and flanks are brown in colour. A distinct medio-dorsal band, whitish in colour, starting from snout and ending at vent. The posterior parts of the tibia and thigh have dark transverse bars. The ventral side is whitish.

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. — The male has two vocal sac openings through oblique bilateral slits on each side of the throat, and nuptial pads on first to third finger.

HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION. — First record. This species is reported herein for the first time for Togo. Its habitat is humid or secondary savannahs and gallery forests, and it has a distribution from Senegal to Côte d’Ivoire ( Perret 1997; Lamotte & Ohler 2000; Kanga et al. 2021). Due to anthropogenic activities, natural habitats around Lomé and in the southern region of the country are quickly disappearing. The areas which are still near natural in the southern parts of the country should be investigated for further records of this species.