Hyperolius Guttulatus
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''Hyperolius guttulatus'' is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It occurs in West and Middle Africa between Sierra Leone in the west and Gabon in the east/south. Common name dotted reed frog has been coined for this species.


Distribution

The species is found, from west to east, in Sierra Leone,
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 ...
,
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, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and western Gabon. It probably occurs in mainland
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 ...
, whereas the gap in Benin might be real.


Description

''Hyperolius guttulatus'' is a relatively large member of its genus, with males measuring and females in snout–vent length. The body is broad and flat and there is a conspicuous dark canthal stripe. The pupil is horizontal. Males have a large gular flap. There are two colour phases: * All juveniles and many mature males display phase "J". In this phase, the dorsum is dull bluish to yellowish green; ventral surfaces are greenish yellow. There is a light stripe above the dark canthal stripe. There might also be some diffuse, dark spots, and the dorsolateral line might be bordered with black. * All females, and some males, develop into phase "F" prior to the first breeding season. The dorsum is dark brown to reddish and has round or oblong orange spots; the ventrum is greyish white. There is variation within this phase; sometimes the light spots are large, sometimes they are very small and numerous. In some Cameroonian specimens the dorsum is uniform brown to reddish and there are black dots on the sides and ventrum. Male advertisement call is a rapid succession of pure, low-pitched notes that have a soft tonal quality.


Habitat and conservation

''Hyperolius guttulatus'' lives in and around large swamps in secondary habitats in the forest belt; in West Africa it typically occurs in the forest- savanna transition forest. It is not found in undisturbed forest. Breeding takes place very large, mostly permanent ponds. Males call from bushes several metres above the ground. The distribution of this species is very patchy, but it can be locally very abundant. It is threatened by habitat loss, especially when affecting its breeding sites. It occurs in a number of protected areas, including the
Ankasa Conservation Area The Ankasa Conservation Area is an area in southwestern Ghana, in Ghana's Western Region, about 365 kilometres west of Accra near the border with Côte d'Ivoire. It incorporates the Nini Suhien National Park in the North, and the Ankasa Forest R ...
and
Kakum National Park Kakum National Park, located in the coastal environs of the Central Region of Ghana, covers an area of . Established in 1931 as a reserve, it was gazetted as a national park only in 1992 after an initial survey of avifauna was conducted. The ar ...
in Ghana.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1943126 guttulatus Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Cameroon Amphibians of Gabon Amphibians of West Africa Amphibians described in 1858 Taxa named by Albert Günther Taxonomy articles created by Polbot