Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference

Hyperolius argus Peters, 1854, Monatsber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1854: 628. Syntypes: ZMB 4807 (2 specimens), lost according to R. Laurent in Frost, 1985, Amph. Species World: 207. Type locality: "Boror", Mozambique.

Hyperolius flavoviridis Peters, 1854, Monatsber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1854: 628. Holotype: ZMB 6631, according to Laurent, 1961, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 64: 74 (a lectotype designation by implication if the following statement is correct). Bauer, Günther, and Klipfel, 1995, in Bauer et al. (eds.), Herpetol. Contr. W.C.H. Peters: 44, reported ZMB 6631-32, and possibly RMNH 1780, as syntypes. Type locality: "Boror", Mozambique. Synonymy by Loveridge, 1936, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 79: 372.

Hyperolius tettensis Peters, 1854, Monatsber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1854: 628. Holotype: ZMB 4812, according to Laurent, 1961, Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr., 64: 74. Type locality: "Tette", Mozambique. Synonymy with Hyperolius flavoviridis by Peters, 1882, Naturwiss. Reise Mossambique, Zool. 3: 163. Synonymy by Ahl, 1931, Das Tierreich, 55: 402; Loveridge, 1936, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 79: 372.

Hyperolius cinctiventris Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 14: 342. Holotype: ANSP 11322, according to Malnate, 1971, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 123: 350. Type locality: "Umvoti", KwaZulu-Natal, Rep. South Africa. Provisional synonymy with Hyperolius marmoratus marmoratus by Laurent, 1943, Ann. Mus. R. Congo Belge, Tervuren, Zool., 4: 67; and Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 196. Synonymy with Hyperolius argus by Poynton, 1986, S. Afr. J. Zool., 21: 149-152.

Rappia argus — Günther, 1869 "1868", Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868: 479. Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 122; Tornier, 1896, in Möbius (ed.), Deutsch Ost-Afr., 3: 146.

Rappia cinctiventris — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 126. Boettger, 1888, Ber. Senckenb. Naturforsch. Ges., 1888: 98.

Hyperolius argus — Peters, 1882, Naturwiss. Reise Mossambique, Zool. 3: 165. Noble, 1924, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 49: 252, 324.

Rappia flavoviridis — Boulenger, 1883, Zool. Rec., 19: 20. By implication.

Rappia platycephalus Pfeffer, 1893, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., 10: 96. Syntypes: ZMH, destroyed. Type locality: "Quilimane" (= Quelimane), Mozambique. Synonymy by Loveridge, 1936, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 79: 372.

Rappia flavoviridis — Pfeffer, 1893, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., 10: 30.

Rappia tettensis — Tornier, 1896, in Möbius (ed.), Deutsch Ost-Afr., 3: 96.

Rappia flaviviridis — Tornier, 1896, in Möbius (ed.), Deutsch Ost-Afr., 3: 96. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Rappia platycephala — Tornier, 1896, in Möbius (ed.), Deutsch Ost-Afr., 3: 96.

Hyperolius flavoviridis — Noble, 1924, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 49: 252.

Hyperolius cinctiventris — Noble, 1924, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 49: 252, 325.

Hyperolius platycephalus — Noble, 1924, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 49: 251, 328. Ahl, 1931, Das Tierreich, 55: 305.

Hyperolius ahli Loveridge, 1936, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 79: 402. Holotype: MCZ 20682, by original designation. Type locality: "Peccatoni", near Witu, Kenya. Synonymy by Loveridge, 1957, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 117: 331; subspecies status rejected by Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 188.

Hyperolius argus argus — Laurent, 1951, Ann. Soc. R. Zool. Belg., 82: 47. Loveridge, 1953, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 110: 356.

Hyperolius argus ahli — Loveridge, 1957, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 117: 331.

Hyperolius böckii Koesen, 1968, Revu, Netherlands, 7: 17. Holotype: Not designated. Type locality: Mombassa, Kenya. Nomen nudum. Synonymy by Perret, 1980, Copeia, 1980: 155.

English Names

Argus Reed Frog (Broadley, 1973, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 10: 24; Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 246; Lambiris, 1990 "1989", Monogr. Mus. Reg. Sci. Nat. Torino, 10: 163; Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 149; Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 152; Bishop, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 137; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 242).

Argus Sedge Frog (Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 152 [alternative name]).

Argus-eyed Frog (Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 152 [alternative name]).

Argus-spotted Sedge Frog (Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 152 [alternative name]).

Yellow Spotted Reed Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7).

Golden Spotted Reed Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 246).

Golden Sedge Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 7; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 246).

Boror Reed Frog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 66).

Distribution

Near water in low elevation dense savanna of the eastern coastal plain of Africa from southern Somalia to KwaZulu-Natal (Rep. South Africa).

Comment

See Poynton, 1986, S. Afr. J. Zool., 21: 149-152, for review of taxonomy, nomenclature, evidence of intergradation with Hyperolius semidiscus, and reallocation of specimens previously assigned to Hyperolius puncticulatus. Schiøtz, 1975, Treefrogs E. Afr.: 157-161, argued against the recognition of subspecies. See accounts by Poynton and Broadley, 1987, Ann. Natal Mus., 28: 199-201, Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 137-139, Channing, 2001, Amph. Cent. S. Afr.: 149-150, Channing and Howell, 2006, Amph. E. Afr.: 152-153, Bishop, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 137-139, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 342-346, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 242-243. Mercurio, 2011, Amph. Malawi: 155, provided an account for Malawi.

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