An eastern Congolian endemic, or widespread but secretive? New data on the recently described Afrixalus lacustris (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Great Lakes spiny reed frog (Afrixalus lacustris) was recently described from transitional (submontane) forests at mid-elevations of the Albertine Rift mountains in the eastern Congolian region. Previously, because of its similarity, it had been understood to represent eastern populations of the...
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Pensoft Publishers
2025-01-01
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| Series: | ZooKeys |
| Online Access: | https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/128761/download/pdf/ |
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| author | Tadeáš Nečas Gabriel Badjedjea Janis Czurda Václav Gvoždík |
| author_facet | Tadeáš Nečas Gabriel Badjedjea Janis Czurda Václav Gvoždík |
| author_sort | Tadeáš Nečas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Great Lakes spiny reed frog (Afrixalus lacustris) was recently described from transitional (submontane) forests at mid-elevations of the Albertine Rift mountains in the eastern Congolian region. Previously, because of its similarity, it had been understood to represent eastern populations of the unrelated A. laevis, which is known mainly from Cameroon. Based on DNA barcoding, we document the westward extension of the known range of A. lacustris within lowland rainforests in the Northeastern and Central Congolian Lowland Forests. One sample was represented by a larva found in a clutch in a folded leaf, a typical oviposition type for most Afrixalus species, contrary to oviposition on an unfolded leaf surface in the similar A. laevis and closely related A. dorsimaculatus and A. uluguruensis. Comparison of the advertisement call of A. lacustris from Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, indicates similarity to its sister species from montane areas of the Albertine Rift, the ghost spiny reed frog (A. phantasma). Phylogeographic analysis suggests that A. phantasma and A. lacustris speciated allopatrically during the Early Pleistocene, with the former having refugia in montane forests and the latter in transitional and also lowland forests. The lowland populations of A. lacustris represent distinct evolutionary lineages, which diversified probably in isolated forest refugia during the Middle Pleistocene. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9c3232f725d6449dad97ab11e98ce227 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1313-2970 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Pensoft Publishers |
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| series | ZooKeys |
| spelling | doaj-art-9c3232f725d6449dad97ab11e98ce2272025-01-23T08:30:44ZengPensoft PublishersZooKeys1313-29702025-01-011224556810.3897/zookeys.1224.128761128761An eastern Congolian endemic, or widespread but secretive? New data on the recently described Afrixalus lacustris (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the CongoTadeáš Nečas0Gabriel Badjedjea1Janis Czurda2Václav Gvoždík3Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of SciencesUniversity of KisanganiMasaryk UniversityNational Museum of the Czech RepublicThe Great Lakes spiny reed frog (Afrixalus lacustris) was recently described from transitional (submontane) forests at mid-elevations of the Albertine Rift mountains in the eastern Congolian region. Previously, because of its similarity, it had been understood to represent eastern populations of the unrelated A. laevis, which is known mainly from Cameroon. Based on DNA barcoding, we document the westward extension of the known range of A. lacustris within lowland rainforests in the Northeastern and Central Congolian Lowland Forests. One sample was represented by a larva found in a clutch in a folded leaf, a typical oviposition type for most Afrixalus species, contrary to oviposition on an unfolded leaf surface in the similar A. laevis and closely related A. dorsimaculatus and A. uluguruensis. Comparison of the advertisement call of A. lacustris from Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, indicates similarity to its sister species from montane areas of the Albertine Rift, the ghost spiny reed frog (A. phantasma). Phylogeographic analysis suggests that A. phantasma and A. lacustris speciated allopatrically during the Early Pleistocene, with the former having refugia in montane forests and the latter in transitional and also lowland forests. The lowland populations of A. lacustris represent distinct evolutionary lineages, which diversified probably in isolated forest refugia during the Middle Pleistocene.https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/128761/download/pdf/ |
| spellingShingle | Tadeáš Nečas Gabriel Badjedjea Janis Czurda Václav Gvoždík An eastern Congolian endemic, or widespread but secretive? New data on the recently described Afrixalus lacustris (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo ZooKeys |
| title | An eastern Congolian endemic, or widespread but secretive? New data on the recently described Afrixalus lacustris (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_full | An eastern Congolian endemic, or widespread but secretive? New data on the recently described Afrixalus lacustris (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_fullStr | An eastern Congolian endemic, or widespread but secretive? New data on the recently described Afrixalus lacustris (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_full_unstemmed | An eastern Congolian endemic, or widespread but secretive? New data on the recently described Afrixalus lacustris (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_short | An eastern Congolian endemic, or widespread but secretive? New data on the recently described Afrixalus lacustris (Anura, Hyperoliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_sort | eastern congolian endemic or widespread but secretive new data on the recently described afrixalus lacustris anura hyperoliidae from the democratic republic of the congo |
| url | https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/128761/download/pdf/ |
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