Gaboon Dwarf Clawed Frog

morphology

This species is very similar to H. boettgeri, except that the fingers and toes are fully webbed to the tips. Both dorsum and venter are uniformly blackish-brown (Boulenger, 1906).

African Amphibians

size

The largest male of the type series measured 42 mm, from snout to vent, and the largest female measured 46 mm (Boulenger, 1906).

African Amphibians

biology_ecology

Biology and distribution. Previously only known from Gabon. However, Nagy et al. (2013) reported Hymenochirus sp. aff. feae from Luki, Bas-Congo, DRC, which may represent the same species. This record represents a new genus for Angola (Baptista 2024). The specimen reported here was found in a small pond under permanent shade in a deep valley, surrounded by degraded and secondary forest in Lower Mayombe.

Filling the gaps: herpetological checklist of Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province (Angola) shed light on one of the most unexplored corners of tropical Central Africa

materials_examined

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • Mayombe NP, Chilito, Mbundo; – 4.7196, 12.5110; 336 m a. s. l.; P 3.544; GenBank: PQ 455731. Identification. A medium-sized (SVL = 42 – 46 mm) flat aquatic frog with characteristic fingers and toes characteristically fully webbed to the tips (Boulenger 1906). Large heads, dark brown to black dorsal coloration, different wart sizes along the body, and two distinctive black claws on the feet. The specimen reported here represents the first genetic sample of the species, which differs by 3.4 – 3.6 % from H. boettgeri from Mbemba and Simombondo, Republic of the Congo (GenBank: OR 360735 and KY 080144, respectively).

Filling the gaps: herpetological checklist of Mayombe National Park and Cabinda Province (Angola) shed light on one of the most unexplored corners of tropical Central Africa