Hyperolius ocellatus purpurescens Laurent, 1943

Badjedjea, Gabriel, Masudi, Franck M., Akaibe, Benjamin Dudu & Gvoždík, Václav, 2022, Amphibians of Kokolopori: an introduction to the amphibian fauna of the Central Congolian Lowland Forests, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 301) 16 (1), pp. 35-70 : 56

Hyperolius ocellatus purpurescens Laurent, 1943

Fig. 9F.

Area: Yetee.

Season/survey: Dry (Aug 2019).

Material: CSB:Herp: RNBK 611, 612, 694, 695–697.

Comments: This species was recorded only once near Yalokenge village in pristine forest, in a partially open swampy zone at the edge of a stream. Five males were found sitting on vegetation, and not calling. The only female was discovered well hidden in vegetation, far from the place where the males aggregated. Schiøtz (2006) also recorded “only few specimens” in small forest swamps in Kokolopori, and described their coloration. This is a sexually dichromatic species ( Portik et al. 2019) with green males that have a silvery white triangle on the snout and white dorsolateral stripes. The female ( Fig. 9F ) has the color pattern corresponding to the subspecies H. o. purpurescens originally described from the southeast of Kisangani ( Laurent 1943) [type locality of the nominotypical subspecies was restricted to Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea]. A phylogeographic study suggested a complex pattern of genetic variation with the eastern Congolian populations differentiated to some level (samples from Kokolopori were not included; Bell et al. 2017). Hyperolius hildebrandti Ahl, 1931 (type locality “ Kamerun;” Ahl 1931) may be an older available name for populations from the Congolian forests. Whether this taxon deserves full species status remains to be evaluated.

Figures

Fig. 9. Hyperoliids, Hyperolius and Hylambates. (A) Hyperolius phantasticus boulengeri (amplectant pair, both sexes in Phase F). (B) H. phantasticus boulengeri under UV light (male, Phase J). (C) H. cf. platyceps, hourglass morph (male). (D) H. cf. platyceps, striped morph, “forma pleurotaenia” (male). (E) H. cf. platyceps, hourglass morph, ventral view (female). (F) H. ocellatus purpurescens (female). (G) Hylambates verrucosus (male). (H) H. verrucosus, ventral view (same specimen as in G).