''Amnirana albolabris'' is a species of
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
in the family
Ranidae. It is widely distributed in Sub-Saharan
West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
and
Middle Africa
Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Eq ...
.
[ However, the nominal species includes at least one undescribed species west of Benin; the formal taxonomic changes to split the species have not yet been done.] Common names white-lipped frog and forest white-lipped frog has been coined for it, whereas Bamileke Plateau frog refers to now- synonymized ''Amnirana longipes'' (=''Hylarana longipes'').[
]
Distribution
''Amnirana albolabris'' occurs in West Africa (from west to east: Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
, Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
, Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
, Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
) and in Middle Africa (from north to south and east: Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
, Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
, Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
, Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
, Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
, Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
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, capital = Luanda
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, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
, Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
, Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
, Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
, and Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
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, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
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, ...
).[ There seems to be a gap in the distribution between western Togo and western Nigeria.][
]
Phylogeny and taxonomy
''Amnirana albolabris'' includes two very distinct lineages. The western component includes most of the West African populations and is the sister taxon
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
Definition
The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram:
Taxon A and t ...
of '' Amnirana fonensis''. The Central African component also includes the Nigerian populations and is the sister taxon of '' Amnirana asperrima''. The type locality of ''Amnirana albolabris'' is given as "West Africa", but later researchers have deduced that the correct locality is Gabon. The name ''Amnirana albolabris'' therefore refers to the Central African component. However, molecular data suggest that ''Amnirana longipes'' (Perret, 1960) is embedded within the Central African ''Amnirana albolabris'' and the former should therefore considered junior synonym of the latter.
Description
Adult females measure in snout–vent length. The snout is slightly rounded and the eyes are prominent. The tympanum is visible. The fingers have no webbing but the toes are webbed.
Habitat and conservation
''Amnirana albolabris'' is found in secondary habitats and heavily degraded former forest in the forest zone as well as in gallery forests in the humid savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
zone. While in West Africa, it occurs in closed-canopy forest and in secondary habitats, it avoids closed forest in central Africa. Individuals are usually found low in the vegetation. West African populations breed in large temporary ponds and in permanent streams, while the central African ones breed in still-water ponds, marshes, raphia swamps and creeks.[
It is a very common and adaptable species that is unlikely to suffer from other than localized threats. It occurs in many protected areas.][
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q28049987, from2=Q28008709
albolabris
Frogs of Africa
Amphibians of West Africa
Amphibians of Angola
Amphibians of Burundi
Amphibians of Cameroon
Amphibians of the Central African Republic
Amphibians of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Amphibians of Equatorial Guinea
Amphibians of Gabon
Amphibians of Kenya
Amphibians of the Republic of the Congo
Amphibians of Rwanda
Amphibians of Tanzania
Amphibians of Uganda
Taxa named by Edward Hallowell (herpetologist)
Amphibians described in 1856
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot