TY - Generic T1 - The California Academy of Sciences Gulf of Guinea Expedition (2001) II. Additions and Corrections to Our Knowledge of the Endemic Amphibians of São Tomé and Príncipe T2 - Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences Y1 - 2004 A1 - Drewes, R., C., A1 - Stoelting, R., E., SP - 573 EP - 587 KW - Amphibians KW - Hyperolius thomensis KW - Leptopelis palmatus KW - Ptychadena newtonii AB -

We present observations on the São Tomé Island endemic Hyperolius thomensis which indicate that it is one of the few African treefrogs known to utilize phytotelmata (tree holes) forbreeding. Ourfield work and observations strongly suggest that this island giant is restricted to primary forest, remnants of which are usually at higher elevations or inaccessible areas of São Tomé Island. Our locality data and field observations in a number of circumstances are not congruent with those of Loumont (1992). An examination of the data associated with her collections housed in the Natural History Museum of Geneva reveals that her data are not specific with regard to individual specimens and dates and, as a result, the status and distribution of the amphibian species on both islands may have been misinterpreted. We note that females of the endemic ranine ranid frog, Ptychadena newtonii, attain snout-vent lengths greater than other members of the genus, and that this species should therefore be considered an island giant. We describe and illustrate for the first time the males of Africa’s largest treefrog, the Príncipe Island endemic Leptopelis palmatus, provide figures illustrating the range of male and female color pattern polymorphism and comment on adult size dimorphism and size at metamorphosis.
 

JF - Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences PB - California Academy of Sciences VL - 55 IS - 31 ER - TY - Generic T1 - The California Academy of Sciences Gulf of Guinea Expedition (2001) I. The Taxonomic Status of the Genus Nesionixalus Perret, 1976 (Anura: Hyperoliidae), Treefrogs of São Tomé and Príncipe, with Comments on the Genus Hyperolius T2 - Proceedings of the California academy of Sciences Y1 - 2004 A1 - Drewes, R., C., A1 - Wilkinson, J., A., SP - 395 EP - 407 KW - Amphibians KW - Hyperolius KW - Nesionixalus AB -

The endemic hyperoliid treefrogs of São Tomé and Príncipe currently recognized as Nesionixalus thomensis (Bocage, 1986) and N. molleri (Bedriaga, 1892) are re-examined. The results of two molecular analyses indicate that these taxa are closely related to each other (monophyletic) but nest within the genus Hyperolius. Acomparison of the morphological character states used by Perret (1976; 1988) to erect the genus Nesionixalus from within Hyperolius Rapp with a broad range of Hyperolius species reveals that most of these are not unique to the island endemics; all except the characters of size and digital tip shape are distributed among a number of other species within the latter genus. Nesionixalus Perret, 1976 is returned to the synonymy of Hyperolius Rapp and Nesionixalus thomensis and N. molleri to Hyperolius thomensis Bocage and H. molleri Bedriaga, respectively.

JF - Proceedings of the California academy of Sciences PB - California Academy of Sciences VL - 55 ER -