''Leptopelis viridis'' (the rusty forest treefrog or savannah tree frog) is a species of frog in the family

Arthroleptidae The Arthroleptidae are a family of frogs found in sub-Saharan Africa. This group includes African treefrogs in the genus ''Leptopelis'' along with the terrestrial breeding squeakers '' Arthroleptis'', and several genera restricted to the Guinea ...

. It is widely distributed in the West and Central African savanna zone between Senegal and the

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

to the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo ( Garamba National Park).

Distribution

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), ''Leptopelis viridis'' is recorded in the following countries (listed from west to east): Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau,

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,

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 ...

, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Further, it is expected to occur Mali,

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

, the Central African Republic,

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, and South Sudan.

Taxonomy

''Leptopelis viridis'' was described in 1869 by Albert Günther, a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. In 2007 it was shown that the holotype specimen of ''Leptopelis hyloides'', described by

George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...

in 1906 as ''Hylambates hyloides'', was a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of ''Leptopelis viridis''. However, the species name ''Leptopelis hyloides'' (or ''Hylambates hyloides'') had often been applied to a forest species (common name: Gbanga forest treefrog) distinct from ''L. viridis''. This forest species was described as '' Leptopelis spiritusnoctis'' in 2007. All older records of ''Leptopelis hyloides'', except the type, refer to ''Leptopelis spiritusnoctis''.

Description

Males measure (30–36 mm according to Rödel) and females in snout–vent length. The dorsum is smooth and brown with a darker pattern, normally consisting of an occipital bar and an 'n'-shaped dorsal marking. Also a green specimen without a dark lateral stripe has been photographed. This suggests that a green phase may be present in this species. Indeed, the

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''viridis'' suggests that the type specimen had been green in life. Males have dark, almost uniform black throats. There is no webbing on hands and the webbing in feet is reduced.

Habitat and conservation

''Leptopelis viridis'' lives in dry and humid savanna woodland, shrubland, and grassland; it tolerates habitat alteration. Breeding takes place in temporary savanna ponds; the eggs, however, are not deposited in water but in burrows on the ground, near the water. ''Leptopelis viridis'' is a very common species that occurs in many protected areas. It is adaptable, and there are no significant threats to it.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2707156 viridis Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Cameroon Amphibians of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Amphibians of West Africa Amphibians described in 1869 Taxa named by Albert Günther Taxonomy articles created by Polbot