Hyperolius major Laurent, 1957

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Hyperoliidae > Subfamily: Hyperoliinae > Genus: Hyperolius > Species: Hyperolius major

Hyperolius platyceps major Laurent, 1957, Explor. Parc Natl. Upemba, Miss. G.F. de Witte, 42: 6. Holotype: IRSNB 1.096 according to Lang, 1990, Doc. Trav., Inst. R. Sci. Nat. Belg., 59: 9. Type locality: "Kaziba, rive g. de la Mweleshi, affl. g. de la Senze", Umpemba National Park, Dem. Rep. Congo.

Hyperolius majorSchiøtz, 1999, Treefrogs Afr.: 189.

English Names

Large Reed Frog (Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 188).  

Distribution

Medium to low altitudes in Upemba highlands of the southern Dem. Rep. Congo, northwestern Zambia and likely east-central-most adjacent Angola (see comment).

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Zambia

Likely/Controversially Present: Angola

Comment

Poynton and Broadley, 1987, Ann. Natal Mus., 28: 197–199, suggested that Hyperolius platyceps major Laurent, 1957, may be a distinct species. This recognition was effected by Schiøtz, 1999, Treefrogs Afr.: 189, and Schiøtz and Van Daele, 2003, Alytes, 20: 143 (who noted that it's voice differs from Hyperolius platyceps). Schiøtz, 2006, Alytes, 24: 55–57, provided a record for central Dem. Rep. Congo and briefly discussed the species. Baptista, Conradie, Vaz Pinto, and Branch, 2019, In Huntley, Russo, Lages, and Ferrand (eds.), Biodiversity in Angola: 256, noted specimens in the Mwinilung District, northwestern Zambia, suggesting its possible occurrence in adjacent Angola. See Bittencourt-Silva, 2019, Amph. Rept. Conserv., 13 (2: e181): 6, for comments on morphology, systematics, and ecology in western Zambia. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 188–189, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map.  

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.