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| Phrynobatrachus bibita
Goutte, Reyes-Velasco & Boissinot, 2019
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Abstract
A new species of Phrynobatrachus is described from the unexplored and isolated Bibita Mountain, southwestern Ethiopia, based on morphological characters and sequences of the mitochondrial rRNA16s. The new species can be distinguished from all its congeners by a small size (SVL = 16.8 ± 0.1 mm for males, 20.3 ± 0.9 mm for females), a slender body with long legs and elongated fingers and toes, a golden coloration, a completely hidden tympanum, and a marked canthus rostralis. The phylogenetic hypothesis based on 16s sequences places the new species as sister to the species group that includes P. natalensis, although it is morphologically more similar to other dwarf Phrynobatrachus species, such as the Ethiopian P. minutus.
Keywords: Bibita Mountain, Ethiopia, morphology, phylogenetic relationships, Phrynobatrachus bibita sp. n., taxonomy
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| Figure 2. Phrynobatrachus bibita sp. n. A Live pictures of P. bibita sp. n. Male holotype (left; SB440) and female paratopotype (right; SB424) B Ventral and dorsal views of the same individuals, with male on the left and female on the right. Scale bar: 10 mm. |
Phrynobatrachus bibita Goutte, Reyes-Velasco & Boissinot, sp. n.
Common name (English): Bibita Mountain dwarf puddle frog
Diagnosis: Small species (SVL = 16.8 ± 0.1 mm for males, 20.3 ± 0.9 mm for females) attributed to the genus Phrynobatrachus by the presence of tarsal and outer metatarsal tubercles (Suppl. material 2: Figure S1A). Body slender, with long legs (tibia length/SVL = 0.6 in both sexes) rather long snout for the genus and very elongated fingers (hand length/SVL = 0.3 in both sexes) and toes (foot length/SVL = 0.6 in both sexes) in comparison to its congeners. Webbing absent between fingers and minimal between toes. Tympanum not visible. Canthus rostralis marked and concave from nostril to eye. Snout pointed. Nostrils not visible from above. Eyelid spine absent. Throat of adult males white with light grey freckles on the anterior third, without any spinulae. Femoral glands hardly distinguishable but present in adult males. Two ridges in the scapular region and two short, oblique ridges behind the eyes. These four ridges may be all disjointed, the two scapular ridges may be jointed to form a chevron shape, or the ridges may be jointed laterally in an hourglass shape.
Etymology: The specific name refers to Bibita Mountain, the type and only known locality for the species. It is an invariable noun used in apposition.
Habitat, distribution, and natural history: All individuals were collected in a single large overgrown forest pond (Figure 3A), at night. The surrounding forest consisted of large trees with overhanging epiphytes and dense undergrowth. All females and the amplected pair were found on vegetation ca. 30 cm above water (Figure 3B). A single male was found in the water, presumably while calling. All collected females were gravid, and bicolor eggs were visible through the skin. Females seemed to aggregate in specific areas of the pond, were numerous egg clutches were found on leaves overhanging the water (Figure 3B). Laying eggs on vegetation overhanging the water is unusual in Phrynobatrachus, most species laying their eggs directly in the water (Zimkus et al. 2012). We thus confirmed that these eggs belonged to Phrynobatrachus bibita sp. n. by sequencing their mitochondrial rRNA 16s. Various forms of terrestrial egg deposition have been described in the genus Phrynobatrachus (Zimkus et al. 2012): most similarly to P. bibita, P. sandersoni (Parker, 1935) lays its eggs on vegetation up to 2 m above small puddles, small streams or water-saturated soil (Amiet 1981) and P. krefftii lays its eggs above the water, on rocks or vegetation (Harper and Vonesh 2010). Phrynobatrachus guineensis Guibé & Lamotte, 1961 lays its eggs on the bark of trees above water-filled tree holes (Rödel 1998) and P. dendrobates lays its eggs in tree holes or above streams (Zimkus et al. 2012). Finally, P. phyllophilus Rödel & Ernst, 2002, P. tokba (Chabanaud, 1921), and P. villiersi Guibé, 1969 lay their eggs on the leaf litter or the forest floor (Rödel and Ernst 2002a, 2002b; Zimkus et al. 2012). Phrynobatrachus bibita sp. n. thus adds to the diversity of reproductive modes in the genus.
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| Type locality of Phrynobatrachus bibita sp. n. Overgrown pond in primary forest. |
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| Two females Phrynobatrachus bibita sp. n. in situ, next to a clutch of eggs, in vegetation at ca. 30 cm above the water. Multiple females and egg clutches were found in similar circumstances. |
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| Figure 5. Phylogenetic placement of Phrynobatrachus bibita sp. n. Bayesian phylogenetic inference of the genus Phrynobatrachus based on the mitochondrial rRNA 16s. Nodes with a posterior support of 1 are marked with a black circle and nodes with high posterior support (>0.95) are marked with a white circle. Individuals of Phrynobatrachus species known to occur in Ethiopia are shown in boldface. Photos of Ethiopian representatives are displayed, from top to bottom: Phrynobatrachus minutus (SB175; Kibre Mengist), P. inexpectatus (SB143; Magnete, Harenna forest), P. bibita sp. n. (SB440; male holotype), P. natalensis (SB454; Mizan Teferi). |
Sandra Goutte, Jacobo Reyes-Velasco and Stephane Boissinot. 2019. A New Species of Puddle Frog from An Unexplored Mountain in southwestern Ethiopia (Anura, Phrynobatrachidae, Phrynobatrachus). ZooKeys. 824: 53-70. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.824.31570
NYUAD scientists discover tiny new frog species in Ethiopia thenational.ae/uae/nyuad-scientists-discover-tiny-new-frog-species-in-ethiopia-1.825409 via @TheNationalUAE
