Olengarua Sand Frog

general

Rödel and Hallermann (2006) showed that Phrynobatrachus monticola Fischer, 1884, is a member of Tomopterna , but could not resolve if it represents a distinct species, or a junior synonym of Tomopterna tuberculosa or Tomopternua luganga .

African Amphibians

morphology

Translation of the original description (Fischer, 1884) by Rödel and Hallermann (2006). One specimen (no. 388) caught at the Wasso-Njiro creek in the collection of the Natural History Museum —Upper jaw is serrated. Vomerine teeth are absent. Tongue is free at the end, deeply notched, without protruding papillae. Fingers are free, toes more than half connected, both without distal dilatations. Body is compact in shape, toad-like; there is small head, short snout, and no canthus rostralis. Interorbital distance is smaller than upper eyelid. Tympanum is completely hidden. First finger is half as long as second; lower subarticular tubercle is strong. At inner side of foot articulation there is a large rounded protuberance; a skin fringe is present at the tarsus. Skin dorsally exhibits a few short longitudinal folds and single scattered protuberances; skin is smooth ventrally. Dorsally skin is dark olive green and irregularly marbled black. A black transversal band is present between eyes. On the back there a number of scattered longish small streaks. Redescription.— Tomopterna monticola (Fischer, 1884) comb. nov. Jahrbuch der Hamburgischen Wissenschaftlichen Anstalten 1:26. Holotype

African Amphibians

distribution

Type locality: “Massai-Gebiete (Ost-Afrika), Bach Wasso-Njiro”, [Massai area, East Africa, creek Wasso-Njiro] near the village Olengarua, Kenya (not Tanzania as cited in Hallermann, 1998 and Frost, 2004).

African Amphibians

look_alikes

Tomopterna monticola differs from T. tandyi by the absence of an outer metatarsal tubercle and from T. cryptotis by a much smaller inner metatarsal tubercle, compared to the length of the second toe. T. monticola seems more similar to T. luganga than to T. tuberculosa in respect to webbing, webbing being less pronounced in T. tuberculosa than in T. luganga . T. luganga seems to differ from T. monticola by the presence of a blackish lower flank, clearly delimitating the reddish back from the white venter, and by a possibly more distinct tympanum. A darker band on the flanks might have existed in T. monticola , at least the region behind the forearm bases seems to be more intensively pigmented. However, the black and white marbling described by Channing et al. (2004) almost certainly never existed in ZMH A04402. Concerning the skin texture, T. monticola seems to be somehow intermediate between T. luganga (almost smooth skin) and T. tuberculosa (warty skin) by having clearly discernible, but few warts scattered on the back. It seems that some of these warts might have been arranged in two longitudinal rows along the back, what would speak in favour of closer

African Amphibians