Capensibufo magistratus, Channing, A., Measey, G. J., De Villiers, A. L., Turner, A. A. & Tolley, K. A., 2017

Channing, A., Measey, G. J., De Villiers, A. L., Turner, A. A. & Tolley, K. A., 2017, Taxonomy of the Capensibufo rosei group (Anura: Bufonidae) from South Africa, Zootaxa 4232 (2), pp. 282-292 : 287-288

Capensibufo magistratus sp. nov.

Landdroskop Mountain Toadlet

Capensibufo rosei (part)

Holotype. A male, NMB A8101, collected from Landdroskop in the Hottentot-Holland Mountains, 34.048857°S, 19.008481°E, by A. de Villiers and M.E. de Villiers, 25 August 2014.

Paratypes. A female, NMB A8102, collected from Landdroskop in the Hottentot-Holland Mountains , by A.A. Turner, A.L. de Villiers and M.E. de Villiers 21 July 2014, and two males NMB A8103–04 with the same details as the holotype, collected 25 August 2014.

Other material examined. NMB A8105–6, male and female, Hawekwas Mountains ; four juveniles NMB A8107–10 and a male NMB A8125 from Landdroskop , Hottentots-Holland Mountains ; a female NMB A8111, and three males NMB A8112–4 from Jonaskop , Riviersonderend Mountains ; a male PEM A10161 from Groenland Mountains ; SAM 50013, Jakkals River , Grabouw. Two females , SAM 19435, Bailey's Peak , Limiet Mountain, Hawekwas Mountains ; NMB A8123–24, two specimens from Suurvlakte , Hawekwas Mountains .

GenBank sequences. AF 220911 , AF463795 , Landdroskop ( Cunningham & Cherry 2004), FN652330 , FN650126 , Landdroskop ( Tolley et al. 2010); FN652331 –38, FN650127 –34, Jonaskop ( Tolley et al. 2010); FN652325 –27, FN650113 , FN650122 –3, Hawekwas Mountains ( Tolley et al. 2010) . KY171942 – 43, Suurvlakte , Hawekwas Mountains ( NMB A18123–24).

Diagnosis. There is no visible tympanum in C. magistratus , which distinguishes it from C. tradouwi and C. deceptus . In preservative, the dorsal spots consist of a grey center, with incomplete dark rings, sometimes with thin white outer margins. The umbraculum is angular, separating it from those species with rounded umbracula: C. rosei , C. selenophos , and C. tradouwi . The center third of the parotid is usually expanded, while the anterior third is usually wider in C. rosei . The parotid of C. deceptus is not expanded. There is a broad very diffuse pale vertebral band, sometimes with a thin white mid-dorsal line. The vertebral stripe is usually absent in C. rosei . The ventral markings consist of white spots on a darker background, distinguishing it from those species with immaculate bellies, that are sometimes flecked or marbled: C. deceptus , C. rosei , and C. selenophos . The ratio of parotid length/SUL is usually greater than 0.18, while it is 0.18 or less in C. tradouwi . The intraspecific uncorrected p distances for 16S are 0–1.4 (n = 14), and 2.5–4.0 between C. magistratus and the other three species previously included in C. rosei and 3.2–4.5 from C. tradouwi ( Table 1 ).

Description of holotype. A male, 19.6 mm SUL, in breeding condition, robust, widest at mid-body; head wide (SUL/HW 2.6), not wider than trunk, as long as wide (HW/HL 1.1); snout long (SL/HL 0.4), bluntly rounded in dorsal view, angular in profile, slightly projecting beyond lower jaw, shorter than wide (SL/IO 0.73); canthus rostralis rounded; loreal region slightly concave; nostrils with a low rim, situated closer to tip of snout than eye (EN/SNO 1.67), separated from each other by distance about equal to distance between eye and nostril (IN/EN 1.07; eyes directed anterolaterally, relatively small (EYE/HL 0.38); eye diameter less than snout length (EYE/SL 0.77); a small angular umbraculum is present; interorbital distance less than eye diameter (IO/EYE 0.77), and greater than internarial distance (IO/IN 1.25; tympanum absent; choanae small, round, located far anterolaterally at margins of roof of the mouth; no vomer processes; median lingual process of tongue absent. Viewed from below the upper lip protrudes beyond the lower jaw.

Lateral and dorsal surfaces of trunk smooth; ventral surfaces of limbs and gular smooth; parotid elongated, smooth, narrow anteriorly, (PL/PW 3.5), (PL/SUL 0.25); no distinct rictal gland behind angle of jaw; inguinal gland deeply corrugated, extending to level of anterior thighs; vent opens ventrally, small skin folds present but no large surrounding glandular structures.

Fore limbs moderately robust; hand robust; tips of fingers rounded, without discs; relative length of fingers: III>I>II>IV (F3/HW 0.59); distal subarticular tubercle of finger 3 double, all subarticular tubercles well developed; two smaller supernumerary tubercles present on the palm; thenar tubercle flat; a single rounded metacarpal tubercle present. Nuptial pad present as a swollen base of the first finger with a raised glandular pad present on the dorsal surface.

Foot equal to tibia (FT/TIB 1.01); Relative length of toes: I<II<V<III<IV; subarticular tubercles small, rounded; webbing absent; inner metatarsal tubercle rounded; outer metatarsal tubercle small, flattened.

Colour in life. The dorsal background is grey, overlain with pale brown. There is a pale grey vertebral stripe. The dorsal warts are darker brown, surrounded by incomplete black rings with a thin yellowish outer border. Numerous small dark brown flecks are distributed across the back. The parotid is reddish brown. The iris has redbrown and silver speckles. The upper lip is grey. The throat is pale with a pinkish tinge. The belly is underlain with grey, with pink spots and black pigment concentrated along the midline. The inguinal gland is very dark red-brown, surrounded by pink spots. The undersides of the limbs are dark brown to black.

Colour in preservative. The dorsal surface has many small brown dots with incomplete black margins, surrounded by a fine white border. There are a few brown-tipped warts within each brown dot. The parotids are brown, and there is a thin pale vertebral stripe. Ventral markings consist of minute white dots that merge to form pale marks laterally and posteriorly. The fingers and toes are dorsally pigmented, confluent with the dorsal pattern.

Paratype variation. The paratype is a 23.7 mm SUL female. It is similar in body proportions to the holotype, but the umbraculum is rounded, there is a pink tinge to the inguinal patch, the vent opening has fleshy papillae, and the parotid is widest in the middle.

Advertisement call. This species does not make an advertisement call but makes a distress call when disturbed.

Distribution. Landdroskop (on the Hottentots-Holland Mountains), Groenlandberg Mountain, and Limietberg (part of the Hawekwas Mountains), and Jonaskop (on the Riviersonderend Mountains) ( Fig. 1 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet derives from the Latin magister (magistrate), referring to the type locality, Landdroskop. The Afrikaans Landdroskop = Magistrates Peak. It is used as a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of the south-western Cape, South Africa, showing the distribution of the material examined. Symbols: Capensibufo deceptus — green triangles; C. magistratus – blue circles; C. rosei — violet diamonds, C. selenophos — red squares. Mountains are indicated in brown, cities and towns in grey. The distribution of C. tradouwi falls outside the boundaries of the map.