Afrixalus stuhlmanni (Pfeffer, 1893)
Megalixalus stuhlmanni Pfeffer, 1893, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., 10: 99. Syntypes: ZMH; destroyed during World War II. Ahl, 1930, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1930: 96, noted a ZMB specimen as "Type", so possibly a syntype persists in that collection. Type locality: "Sansibar Insel" (= Zanzibar Island), Tanzania; rendered as "Mozambique (Quellimane) bis Tanga, Sansibar" by Ahl, 1930, Sitzungsber. Ges. Naturforsch. Freunde Berlin, 1930: 96.
Megalixalus brachycnemis Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 6, 17: 403. Syntypes: BMNH 1947.2.9.77-79, according to XXX. Type locality: "Chiradzulu, British Central Africa [= Malawi]". Synonymy by Pickersgill, 2005, Steenstrupia, 29: 19.
Hyperolius unicolor Ahl, 1931, Das Tierreich, 55: 406. Holotype: ZMB. Type locality: "Ipiana". Synonymy with Afrixalus brachycnemis by Loveridge, 1933, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 74: 346. Potential secondary homonym of Megalixalus fornasinii unicolor Boettger. The description in Ahl, 1931, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 17: 122, appeared a few weeks later according to unpublished notes of A. Loveridge (fide R. Laurent). Considered a synonym of Megalixalus brachycnemis by Loveridge, 1933, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 74: 356. Tentatively placed in this synonymy on the basis that Afrixalus brachycnemis sensu Loveridge, 1933 = Afrixalus stuhlmanni of Pickersgill, 2005, Steenstrupia, 29: 13, 19, although this name was not noted by Pickersgill in any of his synonymies.
Hyperolius pygmaeus Ahl, 1931, Das Tierreich, 55: 273. Holotype: ZMB unnumbered according to the original publication; ZMB 36102, according to Laurent, 1961, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 64: 66. Type locality: "Tanga", Tanzania. Junior homonym of Hyperolius pygmaeus Meyer, 1874 (= Litoria pygmaea). The description in Ahl, 1931, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 17: 22, appeared a few weeks later according to unpublished notes by A. Loveridge (fide R. Laurent). Synonymy by Pickersgill, 2005, Steenstrupia, 29: 13.
Megalixalus (Afrixalus) brachycnemis — Laurent, 1944, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 38: 113-114.
Afrixalus brachycnemis — Guibé, 1948, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Paris, Ser. 2, 20: 501.
Afrixalus brachycnemis brachycnemis — Guibé, 1948, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Paris, Ser. 2, 20: 500. by implication; Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 346.
Afrixalus pygmaeus — Laurent, 1961, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 64: 66.
Afrixalus pygmaeus septentrionalis Schiĝtz, 1974, Vidensk. Medd. Dansk Naturhist. Foren., 137: 15. Holotype: NMK 1424 (Sample A938), by original designation. Type locality: "between Mtito Andei and Ngulia Hills, Kenya".
Afrixalus sylvaticus Schiĝtz, 1974, Vidensk. Medd. Dansk Naturhist. Foren., 137: 17. Holotype: ZMUC R073862, by original designation. Type locality: "Kwale, Kenya". Synonymy by Pickersgill, 2005, Steenstrupia, 29: 17.
Afrixalus stuhlmanni —Laurent In Frost, 1985, Amph. Species World: 223. Pickersgill, 1996, Herptile, 21: 50.
Afrixalus septentrionalis septentrionalis — Dubois, 1986 "1985", Alytes, 4: 97-100.
Afrixalus stuhlmanni stuhlmanni — Pickersgill, 2005, Steenstrupia, 29: 17.
Afrixalus stuhlmanni sylvaticus — Pickersgill, 2005, Steenstrupia, 29: 17.
Afrixalus stuhlmanni brachycnemis — Pickersgill, 2005, Steenstrupia, 29: 19.
English Names
Lesser Banana Frog (Rose, 1950, Rep. Amph. S. Afr.: 113).
Stuhlmann's Banana Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 66).
Stuhlmann's Spiny Reed Frog (Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 142).
Kenya Banana Frog (Afrixalus septentrionalis [no longer recognized]: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 66).
Northern Spiny Reed Frog (Afrixalus septentrionalis [no longer recognized]: Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 141).
Forest Banana Frog (Afrixalus sylvaticus: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 66).
Forest Spiny Reed Frog (Afrixalus sylvaticus [no longer recognized]: Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 142).
Short-legged Spiny Reed Frog (Afrixalus brachycnemis: Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 80; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 132; Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 132).
Golden Leaf-folding Frog (Afrixalus brachycnemis: Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 234).
Golden Spiny Reed Frog (Afrixalus brachycnemis: Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 234; Lambiris, 1990 "1989", Monogr. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, 10: 157).
Short-legged Banana Frog (Afrixalus brachycnemis: Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 234).
Short-limbed Banana Frog (Afrixalus brachycnemis: Ananjeva, Borkin, Darevsky, and Orlov, 1988, Dict. Amph. Rept. Five Languages: 70).
Lesser Banana Frog (Afrixalus brachycnemis: Broadley, 1973, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 10: 23; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 234).
Malawi Banana Frog (Afrixalus brachycnemis: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 65).
Cat's Eye Reed Frog (Afrixalus brachycnemis: Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7).
Distribution
Dense grassland in humid savannas of the Eastern Arc Mountains in northern and central Tanzania; forests of coastal Kenya and Tanzania to Mozambique.
Comment
Pickersgill, 2005, Steenstrupia, 29: 13-22, provided an account and summarized the extensive taxonomic confusion surrounding this species. Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 132-133, 141-143, 143-144, provided accounts (as Afrixalus brachycnemis, Afrixalus septentrionalis, Afrixalus stuhlmanni, and Afrixalus sylvaticus). See accounts by Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 439-443 (Afrixalus stuhlmanni stuhlmanni), 443- (Afrixalus stuhlmanni brachycnemis), and 446-447 (Afrixalus stuhlmanni sylvaticus). See photograph, map, description of geographic range and habitat, and conservation status (as Afrixalus sylvaticus) in Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani, and Young, 2008, Threatened Amph. World: 282. Mercurio, 2011, Amph. Malawi: 139-144, provided an account (as Afrixalus brachycnemis) for Malawi.
External Links
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- 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
