A new slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua Nieden, 1908) from the Fouta Djallon Highlands, west-central Guinea

By

Neira-Salamea, Karla
Doumbia, Joseph
Hillers, Annika
Sandberger-Loua, Laura
Kouamé, N'Goran Germain
Brede, Christian
Schäfer, Marvin
Blackburn, David C. (David Chandler), 1969-
Barej, Michael F
Rödel, Mark-Oliver

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

98

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

23--42

Subjects

Anura , Conservation , Forest Refugia , Upper Guinea forest zone , West Africa

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.98.76692

 

Abstract

We describe a new species of the genus Conraua from the Fouta Djallon Highlands in Guinea. The species is recognised as distinct from nominotypical C. alleni, based on morphological evidence and is supported by a recent species delimitation analysis, based on DNA sequence data. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the unique combination of the following characters: medium body size, robust limbs, only one instead of two palmar tubercles, the first finger webbed to below the first subarticular tubercle, presence of a lateral line system, indistinct tympanum, two subarticular tubercles on fingers III and IV, venter in adults white with dark brown spots or dark brown with grey or whitish spots. The new species differs from all congeners by more than 6% in the DNA sequence of mitochondrial ribosomal 16S. We discuss isolation in Pliocene and Pleistocene forest refugia as a potential driver of speciation in the C. alleni complex. We also emphasise the importance of conserving the remaining forest fragments in the Fouta Djallon Region for the preservation of both its unique biodiversity and its valuable water sources for local people.