Hyperolius marmoratus albofasciatus Hoffman, 1944 Marbled Reed Frog

Bittencourt-Silva, Gabriela B., Bayliss, Julian & Conradie, Werner, 2020, First herpetological surveys of Mount Lico and Mount Socone, Mozambique, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 247) 14 (2), pp. 198-217 : 206

Hyperolius marmoratus albofasciatus Hoffman, 1944 Marbled Reed Frog

Material. MOUNT LICO (base): BMNH 2018.2543– 45, PEM A13700. Identification. The population from Mount Lico fits the following description of H. marmoratus albofasciatus by Poynton and Broadley (1987, p. 226): “Characteristic pattern a white or yellow mid-dorsal band, with no central red line; rest of back black. Sides same color as dorsal band, but with a row of black blotches. Variation includes irregularities of the dorsal band and projections from the light lateral area over the back. No lateral subdermal darkening.” Loveridge (1953) considered this taxon to be a subspecies of Hyperolius marmoratus . Later, Wieczorek et al. (2000, 2001) considered it to be a junior synonym of H. marginatus despite, and without comment upon, their markedly distinct color patterns (see Poynton and Broadley 1987). This synonymy was rejected by Pickersgill (2007), although Frost (2020) considers it to be a subspecies of H. marginatus . To add to the confusion, the BLAST search shows 100% similarity with H. swynnertoni ( MK 509601) from Gorongosa National Park, central Mozambique (see Portik et al. 2019). Hyperolius swynnertoni FitzSimons, 1941 currently includes a junior synonym, H. marmoratus broadleyi (sensu Poynton, 1963) , which differs from H. albofasciatus by (usually) having a red line in the center of the light bands. Du Preez and Carruthers (2017) indicate that Hyperolius swynnertoni broadleyi form is restricted to the Chimanimani Mountains and therefore does not occur in Gorongosa National Park. However, Poynton and Broadley (1987) recorded “ H. marmoratus broadleyi ” from Gorongosa Mountain, which is corroborated by Portik et al. (2019). A taxonomic review of the H. marmoratus group is long overdue. Comments. Specimens were found at night on marginal vegetation along the stream near the campsite ( Fig. 3L ).

Figures

Fig. 3. Amphibians from Mount Lico and Mount Socone, northern Mozambique. (A) Arthroleptis aff. francei; (B) Arthroleptis sp.; (C) A. stenodactylus (mountain form); (D) A. stenodactylus (lowland form); (E) A. xenodactyloides; (F) Leptopelis broadleyi; (G) L. flavomaculatus; (H) Breviceps sp.; (I) Mertensophryne cf. loveridgei; (J) Sclerophrys gutturalis; (K) Hemisus marmoratus; (L) Hyperolius marmoratus albofasciatus; (M–O) H. substriatus; (P) H. tuberilinguis; (Q) Nothophryne sp.; (R) Scolecomorphus kirkii.