Taxonomy of the super-cryptic Hyperolius nasutus group of long reed frogs of Africa (Anura: Hyperoliidae), with descriptions of six new species
Date
2013Author
Channing, A.
Du Preez, L.H.
Hillers, A.
Lötters, S.
Schick, S.
Rödel, M.-O.
Conradie, W.
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Show full item recordAbstract
Specimens from across the range of the Hyperolius nasutus species group were sequenced for two mitochondrial genes
and one nuclear gene. Advertisement calls were recorded from the same specimens where possible, and morphological
characters were compared. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood produced a tree indicating 16 clades. The clades
show little or no overlap in combinations of 16S sequence difference, shared tyr haplotypes, advertisement call
parameters, snout profiles and webbing. On the basis of these data we recognise H. acuticeps, H. adspersus, H.
benguellensis, H. dartevellei, H. igbettensis, H. nasutus, H. nasicus, H. poweri, H. viridis and describe six new species:
Hyperolius friedemanni sp. nov. Mercurio & Rödel, Hyperolius howelli sp. nov. Du Preez & Channing, Hyperolius
inyangae sp. nov. Channing, Hyperolious jacobseni sp. nov. Channing, Hyperolius rwandae sp. nov. Dehling, Sinsch,
Rödel & Channing, and Hyperolius lupiroensis sp. nov. Channing. Hyperolius lamottei is confirmed to be outside the H.
nasutus group clade. Hyperolius granulatus, H. oxyrhynchus, H. punctulatus and H. sagitta are assigned as junior
synonyms. As our results are based on a small number of specimens, these hypotheses await testing with larger sample
sizes and more characters. A species distribution model suggests where outlier populations might be found