Tomopterna natalensis (Smith, 1849)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Pyxicephalidae > Subfamily: Cacosterninae > Genus: Tomopterna > Species: Tomopterna natalensis

Pyxicephalus natalensis Smith, 1849, Illust. Zool. S. Afr., 3 (Appendix): 23. Type(s): Not stated; types not noted by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 31, but current museum records note holotype as BMNH 1858.11.25.87. Type locality: "the country to the eastward of the Cape Colony, more particularly the districts in the neighbourhood of Port Natal", Rep. South Africa.

Tomopterna natalensisGünther, 1859 "1858", Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus.: 129; Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 131.

Rana natalensisBoulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 30.

Pyxicephalus pondoensis Power, 1935, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1935: 335. Holotype: MMK, by original designation. Type locality: "Port St. Johns", Pondoland, Rep. South Africa. Synonymy by Poynton, 1964, Ann. Natal Mus., 17: 101.

Rana (Pyxicephalus) natalensisInger, 1959, in Hanström et al. (eds.), S. Afr. Animal Life: 520.

Tomopterna natalensisVan Dijk, 1966, Ann. Natal Mus., 18: 258; Vences, Glaw, Kosuch, Das, and Veith, 2000, Lourenço and Goodman (eds.), Diversité et Endéémisme à Madagascar: 232.

Rana (Tomopterna) natalensisDubois, 1981, Monit. Zool. Ital., N.S., Suppl., 15: 233, by implication.

Tomopterna (Tomopterna) natalensisDubois, 1987 "1986", Alytes, 5: 57.

English Names

Natal Burrowing Frog (Hewitt, 1937, Guide Vert. Fauna E. Cape Province, Rept. Amph. Fishes: 92; Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 79; Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 5; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 122).

Natal Pyxie (Pienaar, 1963, Koedoe, 6: 79; Wager, 1965, Frogs S. Afr.: 137; Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 5; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 122).

Natal Sand Frog (Passmore and Carruthers, 1978, J. Herpetol. Assoc. Afr., 19: 5; Passmore and Carruthers, 1979, S. Afr. Frogs: 122; Channing, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 327-328; Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 444).

Natal Bullfrog (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 110).

Distribution

Southern Mozambique and Transvaal, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape Province, Rep. South Africa; northern highveld area in the Caledon Valley in Lesotho; Eswatini.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa

Comment

See accounts in Poynton and Broadley, 1985, Ann. Natal Mus., 27: 131, Lambiris, 1988, Lammergeyer, 39: 79–80, Channing, 2004, in Minter et al. (eds.), Atlas Frogs S. Afr. Lesotho and Swaziland: 327–328, Pickersgill, 2007, Frog Search: 126–127, and Du Preez and Carruthers, 2009, Compl. Guide Frogs S. Afr.: 444–445. Bates and Haacke, 2003, Navors. Nas. Mus. Bloemfontein, 19: 125, discussed the species in Lesotho. Phaka, Netherlands, Kruger, and Du Preez, 2017, Bilingual Field Guide Frogs Zululand: 73, provided a photograph, Zululand regional map, and a brief account of life history and identification. Channing and Rödel, 2019, Field Guide Frogs & Other Amph. Afr.: 382–383, provided a brief account, photograph, and range map. 

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