A new bullfrog from southern Africa (Pyxicephalidae, Pyxicephalus Tschudi, 1838)

ABSTRACT

Four species of African bullfrogs are currently recognised. We describe a new species from southern Africa, which can be distinguished on the basis of morphology, advertisement call and DNA sequences. Morphologically it differs from other bullfrogs by a combination of characteristics including a tympanum that is smaller or equal in size to the eye, and smaller in diameter than the space between eye and tympanum, presence of a white dot on the tympanum, longitudinal skin ridges with speckling between dorsal mottles, pale vertebral line usually present, absence of cream coloured lateral stripes, absence of a pale interorbital-bar, upper jaw-barring absent or faint. It has been confirmed from north-eastern Namibia, southern Angola and north-western Botswana. Three further undescribed species are recognised but not formally named, pending further investigation. We confirm the genetic distinctiveness of P. angusticeps.

KEYWORDS:

• 16S rRNA
• tyrosinase exon 1
• advertisement calls
• Khaudum National Park
• new species
• Pyxicephalus beytelli sp. nov
• taxonomy

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Ezemvelo permit no. OP 2492/2015 for work in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa and Limpopo Provincial permit ZA/LP/110488. Ethical clearance was granted by North-West University (NWU-00006-14-A3). We thank R van Breda, M Byron, S Bullard, H Dutton, B Jordaan, FS Becker, F Jacobs and P Beytell for assistance during fieldwork; T Haarhoff for assisting with molecular analyses; D Engelbrecht, H Braack, V Carruthers, NI Passmore, R Hopkins, D and B Joubert (Wildlife Films), and M van Schalkwyk for making recordings available. M Vestergaard supplied additional recordings. N Baptista (Angola) and FS Becker (Namibia) provided comparative sequences or tissues. We acknowledge WR (Bill) Branch and J-F Trape each for the use of a photograph. Students of the African Amphibian Conservation Research Group, based at North-West University, are thanked for their assistance in the field. We thank the authorities for permission to undertake research in Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. We acknowledge the support of the Namibian Ministries of Education, Arts and Culture; Environment, Forestry and Tourism; and Fisheries and Marine Resources. Funding was provided by the Oak Foundation and the Kwando Carnivore Trust of Namibia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).