Phrynobatrachus auritus

Biology and distribution. A widely distributed species in lowland and submontane forests across the Congo Basin and Gulf of Guinea. Phrynobatrachus auritus is widely distributed across the entire study area in forest habitats from the Littoral Peneplain to Upper Mayombe. The species was often found moving among the leaf litter in degraded areas, forest edges or primary moist forest and crossing dirt roads during the day, but at night they can be found perched on leaves up to 1 m above the ground. It was one of the most common frog species in most forest sites.

Figures 7 A – D

Material. ANGOLA – Cabinda Province • between Dinge and Chindende; – 5.1208, 12.3667; 15 m a. s. l.; EI 800, FKH 0158; GenBank: PQ 455877 – 78. • Cacata; – 5.3150, 12.4844; 39 m a. s. l.; P 1.297; GenBank: PQ 455880. • Caio Cacongo; – 5.0618, 12.2588; 43 m a. s. l.; FKH 0976; GenBank: PQ 455879. • Mayombe NP, Chimbete; – 4.6631, 12.5447; 182 m a. s. l.; FKH 1239; GenBank: PQ 455881. • Mayombe NP, Sanga Wanda; – 4.6253, 12.4583; 221 m a. s. l.; FKH 1264, P 3.117 – 18, P 3.190 – 91; GenBank: PQ 455882 – 86. • Mayombe NP, Mbongo Zimune; – 4.7442, 12.6914; 306 m a. s. l.; P 3.148; GenBank: PQ 455887. • Mayombe NP, Quissoki; – 4.6028, 12.8736; 336 m a. s. l.; P 3.155, P 3.157; GenBank: PQ 455888 – 89. • Mayombe NP, Miconge; – 4.4860, 12.8780; 377 m a. s. l.; P 3.184; GenBank: PQ 455890. • Mayombe NP, Vaku; – 4.6323, 12.8937; 319 m a. s. l.; FKH 0919 – 20, FKH 0940 – 43; GenBank: PQ 455891 – 96. • Mayombe NP, Lombe River, Vaku; – 4.6403, 12.935; 269 m a. s. l.; P 3.167; GenBank: PQ 455897. Identification. A medium sized (SVL = 33 – 40 mm) terrestrial frog with a characteristic facial mask pattern. Specimens reported here were genetically identified and differ between 0.2 – 0.6 % (16 S p - distance) from material collected from Nyanga, Gabon (GenBank: KY 080313, KY 080311), thus we consider our material to be conspecific with P. auritus sensu stricto. The material recovered in this study represents the first confirmed country records of this species (Baptista 2024), although historical material ascribed to the west African species P. plicatus (Günther, 1858), from Chinchoxo, Cabinda Province (Peters 1877) was probably a misidentification of P. auritus due to its similar morphology (Marques et al. 2018).