Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: ParaHoxozoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Olfactores
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Batrachomorpha
Classis: Amphibia
Subclassis: Lissamphibia
Superordo: Batrachia
Cladus: Salientia
Ordo: Anura
Familia: Bufonidae
Genus: Mertensophryne
Species: M. anotis – M. howelli – M. lindneri – M. lonnbergi – M. loveridgei – M. melanopleura – M. micranotis – M. mocquardi – M. nairobiensis – M. nyikae – M. schmidti – M. taitana – M. usambarae – M. uzunguensis
Name
Mertensophryne Tihen, 1960
Type species: Bufo (micranotis) rondoensis Loveridge, 1942
Synonyms
Stephopaedes Channing, 1979
References
Tihen, 1960, Copeia, 1960: 226.
Vernacular names
English: Snouted Frogs; Mahenge Toads
Mertensophryne is a genus of true toads (family Bufonidae).[1][2] They are found in eastern and southern Democratic Republic of Congo to Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, southeastern Zimbabwe, and adjacent Mozambique. Their common names include snouted frogs, Chirinda forest toads, and forest toads.[1] The genus is named for Robert Mertens, German zoologist and herpetologist.[3]
Taxonomy
Mertensophryne, as currently understood, consist of the former "Bufo" taitanus group and the genera Mertensophryne (as formerly defined) and Stephopaedes.[4] The latter is monophyletic and still recognized as a subgenus. The closest relatives of Mertensophryne remain uncertain but probably include Poyntonophrynus, Vandijkophrynus, and Capensibufo.[1]
Description
Mertensophryne lack tympanum and columella. They frequently show digit reduction.[4] They are relatively small frogs; among the ten species studied by Liedtke and colleagues, the maximum female snout–vent length varied between 24 and 46 mm (0.9 and 1.8 in). Eggs are relatively large, 1.8–2.5 mm (0.1–0.1 in) in diameter, and few in number (maximum 35–188).[5]
Species
There are 14 recognized species:[1][2]
| Binomial Name and Author | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Mertensophryne anotis (Boulenger, 1907) | Mashonaland toad |
| Mertensophryne howelli (Poynton and Clarke, 1999) | Mrora forest toad |
| Mertensophryne lindneri (Mertens, 1955) | Dar es Salaam toad |
| Mertensophryne lonnbergi (Andersson, 1911) | Lonberg's toad |
| Mertensophryne loveridgei (Poynton, 1991) | Mahenge toad |
| Mertensophryne melanopleura (Schmidt and Inger, 1959) | Kankunde toad |
| Mertensophryne micranotis (Loveridge, 1925) | Loveridges snouted toad |
| Mertensophryne mocquardi (Angel, 1924) | Mocquards toad |
| Mertensophryne nairobiensis (Loveridge, 1932) | Nairobi toad |
| Mertensophryne nyikae (Loveridge, 1953) | Nyika dwarf toad |
| Mertensophryne schmidti Grandison, 1972 | Schmidt's snouted frog |
| Mertensophryne taitana (Peters, 1878) | Black-chested dwarf toad |
| Mertensophryne usambarae (Poynton and Clarke, 1999) | Usambara forest toad |
| Mertensophryne uzunguensis (Loveridge, 1932) | Uzungwe toad |
References
Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Mertensophryne Tihen, 1960". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
"Bufonidae". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-907807-42-8.
Frost, D. R.; Grant, T.; Faivovich, J. N.; Bain, R. H.; Haas, A.; Haddad, C. F. B.; De Sá, R. O.; Channing, A.; Wilkinson, M.; Donnellan, S. C.; Raxworthy, C. J.; Campbell, J. A.; Blotto, B. L.; Moler, P.; Drewes, R. C.; Nussbaum, R. A.; Lynch, J. D.; Green, D. M. & Wheeler, W. C. (2006). "The amphibian tree of life". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 297: 1–291. doi:10.1206/0003-0090(2006)297[0001:TATOL]2.0.CO;2. hdl:2246/5781. S2CID 86140137.
Liedtke, H. Christoph; Müller, Hendrik; Hafner, Julian; Nagel, Peter & Loader, Simon P. (2014). "Interspecific patterns for egg and clutch sizes of African Bufonidae (Amphibia: Anura)". Zoologischer Anzeiger. 253 (4): 309–315. doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2014.02.003.
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