Afrixalus spinifrons (Cope, 1862)
Hyperolius spinifrons Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 14: 342. Holotype: ANSP 11320, according to Malnate, 1971, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 123: 353. Type locality: "Umvoti", KwaZulu-Natal, Rep. South Africa; reported, apparently in error as "Umvoti, W. Africa" by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 130.
Megalixalus ? spinifrons — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 130.
Megalixalus spinifrons — Ahl, 1930, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1930: 94. FitzSimons, 1946, Ann. Transvaal Mus., 20: 373.
Megalixalus fornasinii spinifrons — Power, 1935, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1935: 342.
Afrixalus spinifrons — Guibé, 1948, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Paris, Ser. 2, 20: 500. by implication; Rose, 1962, Rep. Amph. S. Afr., Ed. 2: 109; Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 182.
Afrixalus spinifrons spinifrons — Pickersgill, 1996, Durban Mus. Novit., 21: 51.
Afrixalus spinifrons intermedius Pickersgill, 1996, Durban Mus. Novit., 21: 55. Holotype: SMF unnumbered (M. Pickersgill 534), by original designation. Type locality: "Mooi River floodplain at Rosetta (alt. 1410 m), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa".
English Names
Golden Spiny Reed Frog (Wager, 1965, Frogs S. Afr.: 195; Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 236).
Natal Leaf-folding Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 236; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 234).
Natal Banana Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 66).
Natal Spiny Reed Frog (Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 141).
Distribution
KwaZulu-Natal midlands to Eastern Cape coast, Rep. South Africa; possibly to be found in adjacent Lesotho.
Comment
See brief account by Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 182, in which he details taxonomic history, and accounts by Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 141-142, Pickersgill, Burger, and Bishop, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 131-133, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 432-434, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 234-235. See photograph, map, description of geographic range and habitat, and conservation status in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 281. Bates and Haacke, 2003, Navors. Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, 19: 143, suggested the possible presence of this species in Lesotho.
External Links
Please note: these links will take you to external websites not affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History. We are not responsible for their content.
- For additional sources of information from other sites search Google
- For images search Arkive, CalPhoto Images and Google Images
- To search the NIH genetic sequence database, see GenBank
- For information aggregation from other sites and some original accounts see AmphibiaWeb report
- For further information on conservation status and distribution see the IUCN Redlist
- For related information on conservation and images as well as observation see iNaturalist;
- for a quick link to their maps see iNaturalist KML
