ZMB 74985 and ZMB 79340, “SRET [Station de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale] station transect X, large water-filled tree stump, secondary forest, Taï National Park, Ivory Coast, 5°50'N, 7°20'W”, coll. Raffael Ernst and Mark-Oliver Rödel, 16.IX.2000.

Acanthixalus sonjae Rödel, Kosuch, Veith & Ernst, 2003.

Holotype: SMNS 09573, “SRET station transect X, large water-filled tree stump, secondary forest, Taï National Park, Ivory Coast, 5°50'N, 7°20'W”, coll. Raffael Ernst and Mark-Oliver Rödel, 16.IX.2000. Additional paratypes: SMNS 09574.1–2, “Noe-Grid, Taï National Park, Ivory Coast, 5°50'N, 7°20'W”, coll. Raffael Ernst and Mark-Oliver Rödel, 16.IX.2000 and SMNS 09575.1–28, same collecting data as for the holotype; ZSM 9080/2001, same collecting data as for the holotype (Glaw and Franzen 2006); PEM A7414, “Forêt Classé de Haute Dodo, 4°54'03"N, 7°19'3"W, coll. William Roy Branch and Mark-Oliver Rödel, 15.III/2002 (Conradie et al. 2015); and “three males, two females and four juveniles alive, same data as holotype; numerous tadpoles alive”. The two Berlin paratypes (ZMB 79340 and 74985) were formerly part of the aforementioned mentioned series of uncatalogued paratypes.

Acanthixalus spinosus

see Hyperolius spinosus.

ZMB 4426, “Boror” [Companhia do Boror, Zambezia Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

ZMB 10106 and ZMB 85708 (formerly part of ZMB 10106), “Cabaceira” [Peninsula Cabaceira, Mossuril District, Nampula Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Kassina senegalensis (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Peters (1854) does not mention the number of specimens available to him for the description, but later he specified that he found “[…] drei weibliche Exemplare, eins auf der Halbinsel Cabaceira, zwei in Boror, während des Märzmonats, in feuchtem Grase.” [… three female specimens, one on the Cabaceira Peninsula, two in Boror, during the month of March, in wet grass] (Peters 1882b: 158). One of the former syntypes is depicted in Peters (1882b, pl. 22, fig. 2, and on pl. 26, fig. 3, sternum). Bauer et al. (1995: 43) consider the specimens inventoried under ZMB 4426 and ZMB 10106 to be syntypes. Frost (2021) mentioned only ZMB 4426 as syntype and refers to other unnumbered syntype(s) in the ZSM collection. However, Glaw and Franzen (2006) do not mention syntypes of Cystignathus argyreivittis present at ZSM. Ahl (1930c: 283) denotes [ZMB] 4426 as “Typus” and [ZMB] 10106 (two specimens) as “Cotypen” of Cystignathus argyreivittis. This constitutes a lectotype designation of ZMB 4426 from “Boror” (ICZN 1999: Art. 74.5).

W. C. H. Peters, a zoologist, anatomist and later director of ZMB (from 1857 to 1883) undertook a journey to Mozambique from September 1842. Via Portugal and Luanda (Angola) he reached Mozambique Island on 17 June 1843. During his stay in Mozambique, he undertook various short trips, e.g. to Zanzibar, Anjuan (Comores), Saint Augustin (Madagascar) and South Africa. On August 7, 1847 he left Mozambique and sailed via Goa and Mumbai (India), Candy (Sri Lanka) and Egypt to return to Berlin in early 1848 (itinerary and map in Bauer et al. 1995). Already during his journey, Peters regularly sent his collections back to Berlin, some of which were donated to the Anatomical Museum, the majority was given to the ZMB and a number of doublets (“Doubletten”) were sold (Brauer 1910; Bauer et al. 1995).

Heterixalus betsileo

see Hyperolius friedrichsi.

Heterixalus variabilis

see Megalixalus variabilis.

ZMB 30999; “Ngoto, Lobajegebiet” [Kembé, Basse-Kotto Prefecture, Central African Republic]; coll. Günther Theodor Tessmann, 30.X.1913.

Hyperolius acuticephalus Ahl, 1931.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 419, fig. 291). The German botanist, ethnologist and explorer Tessmann travelled to Cameroon in 1904, where he worked until 1905 for the West African plantation company Bibundi as a supervisor on a cocoa plantation. Afterwards he travelled to the Cameroon Hinterland [‚Hinterland‘ is a term in the colonial literature, used in various languages; it does not specify a specific geographic region but refers generally to regions being away from the coast or provincial towns] and to Yaoundé and founded his own plantation in the border area between German-Cameroon and Spanish-Guinea. From 1907 to 1909 he was the head of the “Lübecker Pangwe–Expedition” to South Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea and in 1913 he led an expedition to “Neu Kamerun”. During the First World War he fled to Spanish Guinea and was interned by the Spanish on Fernando Pó [Bioko]. Later, he turned to South America, travelled through Peru, and emigrated to Brazil in 1936, where he settled in the state of Paraná and got a position at the Museu Paranaense. During his stay in Africa he collected large numbers of zoological, botanical and ethnological objects, most of which were sent to the museums in Berlin and Lübeck (Dinslage and Templin 2012; Dinslage 2015; Templin 2015).

Hyperolius acuticephalus could be conspecific with either H. igbettensis Schiøtz, 1963 or H. adsperus Peters, 1877. Type locality and shape of head better fit H. igebettensis (fide Channing et al. 2013); concerning webbing of feet H. acuticephalus is intermediate between H. igbettensis and H. adspersus (fide Channing et al. 2013); the ratio of head width/snout-vent length speaks in favor of H. adspersus (fide Amiet 2012); and the ratio of head length/head width points again to H. igbettensis (fide Amiet 2012); finally the value for the length of the snout/head width surpasses both H. igebettensis and H. adspersus.

ZMB 36039 and ZMB 65176 (formerly part of ZMB 36039), “Konde-Nika” [Region at the northern tip of Lake Malawi, Mbeya and Njombe Region, Tanzania], coll. Friedrich Georg Hans Heinrich Fülleborn, 02.VI.1900.

Hyperolius microps Günther, 1864.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 282, fig. 153). For the location of “Konde-Land” we refer to Fülleborn (1906: 268 ff.), who describes it as a small area at the northern tip of Lake Malawi as follows: limited in the east by Lake Malawi, in the northeast by the slopes of the Livingstone Mountains [Kipengere Range], in the southeast by the Untali and Malila Mountains, in the north by Rungwe Volcano and in the south by the lower reaches of the Ssongwe (Songwe River).

In 1896, the German physician, doctor of tropical medicine, and explorer Fülleborn joined the colonial “Schutztruppe” in German East Africa, where he was active as a government physician until 1901. From April 1897 to the beginning of 1898, he participated in the military campaigns against the Wangoni and Wahehe of the “Ungoni”, “Uhehe” and “Ubena” regions, in present day southern Tanzania. From 1898 to 1899 Fülleborn was stationed in Langenburg [Lumbira, Mbeya Region, Tanzania] in the north of Lake Malawi and undertook numerous excursions in the surrounding area, which took him to the southern end of Lake Malawi, through the “Schire-Hochländer” [Shire Highlands, southern Malawi], and on the Shire and Zambezi River to Quelimane and afterwards to the Island of Mozambique. In 1899 he was commissioned to research the “German-Nyassa” region from a zoological and ethnological-anthropological point of view. Together with W. Goetze he participated in the “Nyassa–See- und Kinga–Gebirgs–Expedition” (Engler 1902; Fülleborn 1906; see also comments on Hyperolius goetzei). During this time Fülleborn also surveyed Lake Malawi and the lakes in northern Nyasaland (Rukwa, Chungruru, Itende) and collected a considerable number of mammals, about 800 birds, more than 1000 fishes, amphibians and reptiles, thousands of insects and other invertebrates, and particularly plankton (Fülleborn 1900a, b; Paepke and Seegers 1995). The majority of these collections were donated to ZMB. Fülleborn’s extensive herpetological collections were partly studied in the first third of the 20^th century by former curators of herpetology at ZMB (e.g. Ahl 1929, 1931a, c; Tornier 1900, 1902, 1905). However, many specimens remained unexamined on the shelves within the ‘undetermined material’. On the basis of Fülleborn’s diary Hans Paepke (curator emeritus Department of Ichthyology at ZMB) compiled a list of the places where Fülleborn stayed between April 1897 and October 1899. The diary and this list are archived in the Department of Historical Research at ZMB (Zool. Mus. Sign. S III, “Fülleborn, F.”).

ZMB 8470 and ZMB 65177 (formerly part of ZMB 8470), “Cameruns” [Douala, Region Littoral, Cameroon], coll. Reinhold Wilhelm Buchholz.

Hyperolius acutirostris Buchholz & Peters, 1875.

Perret (1966: 408) considered the type material of H. acutirostris lost and designated MHNG 965.12 as neotype. Bauer et al. (1995: 43) could only locate one of the two syntypes. The type locality was corrected to “Douala” by Frétey et al. (2014); for further information see also remarks on Hyperolius guttatus.

The German explorer, zoologist and anatomist Buchholz went to Equatorial Africa from 1872 to 1875. He was accompanied by the Berlin ornithologist Georg Anton Eugen Reichenow and Reichenow’s friend, fellow student and zoologist Wilhelm Lühder. On 1 June 1872 they set off from Bremerhaven to “Akkrá on the Gold Coast” [Accra, Ghana], which they reached on 29 July 1872. The first collecting tours took place in the surroundings of Accra and Aburi (29 July to 16 October 1872). On 16 October they left Accra for “Camaroons” [today part of present day Douala city] where they stayed until 2 November. Then they travelled to Bimbia, Victoria and Bonjonjo (2 November 1872 to 9 December 1873). On 12 March 1873 Lühder died of malaria in ‘Camaroons’. Reichenow, also suffering from malaria, returned via Gabon to Germany in April 1873.

Buchholz was on his own from then on. He travelled between Victoria and `Camaroons’ with intermediate stops on Fernando Pó to get his collections to Camaroons in early December.

Thereafter he went to Abo (9 December 1873 to 24 March 1874) and from Mungo via Balong he returned again to ‘Camaroons’ (5 April to 11 August 1874). He left `Camaroons’ for a stay in Gabon where he also explored the Rembo River (12 August to 9 November 1874). After his return to the Gabon coast he again explored the area around Mungo and Jenssoki (9 November 1874 to 11 January 1875), and again visited Fernando Pó, the Gabon coast and the Ogowe (or Ogooué) River (11 January to 31 August 1875). On 3 September he started from Gabon on his way back to Greifswald where he arrived during the beginning of November 1875 (Reichenow 1874; Heinersdorff 1880; Weidmann 1894; Stresemann 1943). Buchholz’ collections went to the zoological museums in Greifswald and Berlin and his herpetological material has been described by Wilhelm C. H. Peters (Peters 1875, 1876).

ZMB 20794, “Bamenda” [Mezam Department, Northwest Region, Cameroon], coll. First Lieutenant Karl Moritz Ernst Gustav Wilhelm Adametz, VI/1909.

ZMB 77729–77733 and ZMB 77749, same collecting data as for the lectotype.

Hyperolius ademetzi Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 296, fig. 171). Originally eight specimens according to the original publication. Lectotype designation by Perret (1962: 244, fig. 2) who provided a photograph of the lectotype. Another paralectotype MCZ A-17626 was sent in exchange from ZMB in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 126). Adametz was a first lieutenant in the German `Schutztruppe’ for Cameroon and head of the colonial station in Bamenda. He was involved in surveying the Hinterland of the Kamerun-Nordbahn in the Bamenda region. In summer 1912, he also took part in an operation against the Baminge (Bamije–Expedition) at the eastern frontier of the present day Manyu Division, Southwest Region, Cameroon (Nkwi 1989; Hoffmann 2007; Hafeneder 2008).

ZMB 36114, “Rugegewald, 2000 m Höhe” [Nyungwe Forest, Cyangugu Prefecture, West Province, Rwanda], collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, VIII/1907.

Hyperolius castaneus Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 399, fig. 274). Under the leadership of Adolf Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg, the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition” had the goal of scientifically investigating the areas of the western branch of the East African Rift Valley. Among the expedition members who collected herpetological material were Schubotz and Grauer (meeting at Lake Kivu, see also remarks on Hyperolius callichromus) as well as von Raven. On 29 May 1907, the expedition started in Mombasa [Kenya], led via “Port Florence” [Kisumu at the northeastern coast of Lake Victoria, Kenya] to “Bukoba” [June 1907, Bukoba Urban District, Kagera Region, Tanzania] on the western shore of Lake Victoria. From here, almost 600 expedition members headed west to “Kifumbiro” [June 1907, a German military post at the ferry over the Kagera River], and to “Rufua” [July 1907, a military post in the northern Mpororo Region, Ntungamo District, Western Region, Uganda]. From here the expedition moved south to the “Mohasi See” [July 1907; Lake Mohasi, Rwanda] and “Niansa” [August 1907] and from there in western direction to the military station “Ischangi” [August 1907; Shangi, Gafunzo, Ruhango District, Southern Province, Rwanda] at the southern tip of Lake Kivu.

Then, the caravan turned north, crossed Lake Kivu with a stop at “Kwidschwi” Island [September 1907; Idjwi (Ijwi) Island, Lake Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo] and reached “Kissenji” [September 1907; Gisenyi on the northeast shore of Lake Kivu, close to the border of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda]. From there they went to Rutschurru [December 1907, Rutshuru, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo] and further north to Vitshumbi [December 1907] at the southern tip of Lake Edward. The expedition continued further along the west coast of Lake Albert to reach the Rwenzori Mountains via Kasindi [January 1908]. From Fort Beni [January to February 1908] on the western slopes of the Rwenzori Mountains the expedition went to Kassenje [March 1908] on the southwestern shore of Lake Albert. From here, the expedition turned west. Via Mawambi [April 1908] on the Ituri River and Avakubi [April 1908], it went along the left bank of the Aruwimi River to Basoko [May 1908; Tshopo Province, Democratic Republic of Congo] to the confluence with the Congo River, where the expedition ended in June 1908 (Schubotz 1909, 1912; Bamps 1975). The extensive zoological-botanical collections made during this expedition, including nearly 3000 vertebrates, were deposited at the ZMB and the Botanical Museum in Berlin. Most of the herpetological results of the expedition were published by Nieden (1913, Amphibia) and Sternfeld (1913, Reptilia).

From 1909 to 1910 a second “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, also under the leadership of Adolf Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg, extended along a main route from Cameroon via Spanish Guinea [Equatorial Guinea], Gabon, the Congo and the Ubangi River up to Fort de Possel [Possel, Central African Republic], and from there further north to Lake Chad and back via North Cameroon to the Niger Delta. Schubotz, who accompanied this expedition, deviated along the Ubangi River eastwards, in order to follow the White Nile in southern Sudan and returned via Khartoum and Egypt to Germany (Mecklenburg 1921).

ZMB 9176, “Chinchoxo (Westafrika)“ [Cabinda Province, Angola], don. Africanische Gesellschaft.

Hyperolius adspersus Peters, 1877a.

The “Africanische Gesellschaft”, or formally “Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Erforschung Aequatorial-Africas”, sponsored the “Loango–Expedition” from 1873–1876 under the leadership of the German geographer and explorer Richard Paul Wilhelm Güssfeldt. The expedition had the task to establish a station at the Loango coast (at Chinchoxo), which was to serve as a depot for the material collected during the expedition. Geographic-topographical explorations into the interior of the African continent were also intended to be carried out. With an interdisciplinary research team, comprising the medical officer and zoologist Julius Falkenstein, the geographer Eduard Pechuël-Loesche, the geodesist von Görschen, Reserve Lieutenant Hans von Hattorf, the mechanic Otto Lindner, the botanist Herman Soyaux, and the topographer Major Alexander von Mechow, Güssfeld travelled for two years, starting in July 1873. They mainly followed the coastal area of Cabinda, on the Kouilo river, the Chiluango river, and on the lower course of the Nyanga river. From March 1874, they turned to Luanda, on the Cuango to Dondo and to the rapids of Cambambe, as well as to Quicombo and Novo Redondo (Güssfeldt et al. 1879, Weidmann 1894, Heintze 2007, Marques et al. 2018). The amphibians and reptiles collected during these trips were sent to ZMB and described by Peters (1877a, b).

ZMB 36095, “Afrika (ohne genaueren Fundort [without precise locality])”, collector and/or donor unknown.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 355, fig. 230).

ZMB 86012, “Deutsch-Ost-Afrika (genauerer Fundort unbekannt [without precise locality])” [probably Tanzania], coll. Ule, 22.XI.1912.

Hyperolius albofrenatus Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 315, fig. 189). There remains confusion about the collector and, related to this, the likely place of collection. A man by the name of Ernst Heinrich Georg Ule collected in Brazil and donated two frogs to the herpetological collection, one with the accession catalogue number C-581 (from November/December 1912) without further data, and a second one (C-145) on 21 May 1904, collected on the Upper Amazon. The frog thus might actually be a South American tree frog and not a hyperoliid. However, another person named Dr. Ferdinand Uhl was a member of the “Deutsche Schutztruppe” in East Africa who collected the holotype of Hyperolius guttolineatus Ahl, 1931 (see below, unlocated type specimens). Lastly, a person with the surname Uhle collected in Sumatra, Bolivia and Argentina. Thus, neither the identity of the frog, nor its geographic origin and collector can be determined with certainty.

ZMB 58748, “Kwa Buosch oder Bnorch (Deutsch-Ost-Afrika)”, located in “Kwa Buosch in Süd Kavirondo” [near Lake Victoria, Migori district, southwestern Kenya] according to Neumann (1898: 242), coll. Oscar Rudolph Neumann, 26.II.1894.

Hyperolius glandicolor Peters, 1878.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 288, fig. 161).

ZMB 39008, “Ruwenzori, 1800 m hoch” [Rwenzori Mountains, Democratic Republic of the Congo], collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, II/1908.

ZMB 74944, same collecting data as for the lectotype.

Hyperolius discodactylus Ahl, 1931a.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 380, fig. 255). Lectotype designation by Liedtke et al. (2014) who rediscovered the type specimens in the ZMB collection.

Hyperolius angolensis

see Hyperolius decorates, Hyperolius insignis, Hyperolius nossibeensis, Hyperolius vermiculatus.

ZMB 36092, “ohne genauen Fundort” [without specified locality], collector or donor unknown.

Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell, 1844).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 357, fig. 233).

ZMB 85718, “Ujiji (Udjidji, Tanganyika-See, Deutsch-Ost-Afrika)” [Ujiji, Kigoma Province, Tanzania], coll. Paul Hösemann (Fig. 5).

Figure 5. 

Holotype of Hyperolius argentovittis Ahl, 1931a, ZMB 85718 from “Ujiji (Udjidji, Tanganyika-See, Deutsch-Ost-Afrika)”, coll. Hösemann.

Hyperolius marginatus Peters, 1854.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 346, fig. 220).

Dr. Hösemann served in the colonial German Schutztruppe as medical officer [Stabsarzt], undertook anthropological studies, and between 1897 and 1907, collected zoological objects on the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika (Udjidji), in the Kissaka Region (southeast of Lake Mugesera, Ngoma and Kirehe Districts, Eastern Province, Rwanda] and between Mwanza and Moshi [northern Tanzania] (Hösemann 1897, Hafeneder 2010). Among others, he participated in the “German–French Border Expedition” (October 1901 to December 1902) to define the southern border of Cameroon, during which he mapped the area from the camp Nyengwe, south of Kampo, to the Ngoko station in the Sanga Ngoko area (Danckelmann 1901; Fitzner 1901).

ZMB 4807 (two specimens according to Peters 1882b and ZMB inventory catalogue), “Boror” [Companhia do Boror, Zambezia Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Hyperolius argus Peters, 1854.

Peters (1882b: 165) refers to two syntypes which he found in March 1846 in a bush at the edge of the forest near Boror. Depicted in Peters (1882b, pl. 22, fig. 6) and mentioned and depicted by Tornier (1896: 146, pl. 4, fig. 72 [=ZMB 4807]). Only one syntype could be located.

Hyperolius argus

see Hyperolius flavoviridis, Hyperolius tettensis.

ZMB 36106, “Nairobi” [Kenya], coll. Felice Thomas.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Between 1896 and 1903 the engineer and transport officer of the “Mombasa–Uganda Railway” in British East Africa, Felice (sometimes Felix) Thomas sent several shipments, containing amphibians and reptiles, from the Kenyan coast province (Mombasa and Takanugu) and from Nairobi to ZMB.

ZMB 84956, coll. 26.VII.1894, ZMB 90925–90926, coll. 07.V.1894, all from “Misahöhe, Togo” [Missahomé, Agou Prefecture, Plateau Region, Togo], all coll. Ernst Richard Reinhold Baumann.

Hyperolius baumanni Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 291, fig. 167). According to Ahl (1831a: 35) the original series consisted of four specimens, i.e. one collected on 26 July 1894 and three on 07 May 1893. However, the latter year given by Ahl is most probably a typographical error. According to Baumann’s preserved original field label, the date of collection was the “7. Mai 1894”. Another paratype MCZ A-17627 from “Misahöhe, Togo”, coll. Baumann on 07 May 1894, was sent in exchange from ZMB in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 127). The latter specimen was erroneously regarded as a holotype by Seniagbeto et al. (2007: 77).

The natural scientist and cartographer Baumann joined the German Colonial Service in 1893. He worked at Klein Popo [Aného, Lacs Prefecture, Maritime Region, Togo] and was later stationed at Misahöhe [Agou Prefecture, Plateau Region, Togo] where he was deputy station chief from 1894–95. In November 1894, he accompanied the “Togo–Hinterland–Expedition” headed by the colonial officer Hans Gruner along the Volta River to Kete Kratschi [Kete Krachi, Oti Region, Ghana] and returned to Misahöhe. In the hinterland of the station (Agome Region) he collected zoological, botanical and ethnological objects, which were given to the museums in Berlin. In 1895 he returned to Germany where he died on 4 September as a result of malaria that he contracted on his return journey (Danckelmann 1895; Reichenow 1897; Heß 1902; Hafeneder 2008).

Hyperolius bicolor

see unlocated type specimens’.

ZMB 39004, “Konde-Nika, Deutsch-Ost-Afrika” [Region at the northern tip of Lake Malawi, Mbeya and Njombe Region, Tanzania], coll. Friedrich Georg Hans Heinrich Fülleborn.

ZMB 11919, “Deutsch-Ost-Afrika“, coll. Oscar Rudolph Neumann and ZMB 85835–85840, “Konde-Nika“, coll. Friedrich Georg Hans Heinrich Fülleborn.

Hyperolius mariae Barbour & Loveridge, 1928.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 322, fig. 196). Another paratype MCZ A-17628 from “Konde-Nika”, coll. Fülleborn was sent in exchange from ZMB to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 127).

ZMB 4529 and ZMB 52503–52509 (formerly part of ZMB 4529), “Boror” [Companhia do Boror, Zambezia Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Afrixalus fornasini (Bianconi, 1849).

Depicted in Peters (1882b, pl. 24, fig. 2 and pl. 26, fig. 6, sternum). Peters (1882b: 161) specified that he found this species in March 1846, often in grass and on bushes in the Prazo [estate] Boror northwest of Quellimane. Poynton and Broadley (1987: 192) incorrectly state that the description of H. bivittatus is based on a holotype.

ZMB 77723, “Ngoto, Lobaje-Gebiet, Westafrika” [Lobaye Prefecture, Central African Republic]”, coll. Günther Theodor Tessmann.

Hyperolius brachiofasciatus Ahl, 1931a.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 361, fig. 237).

ZMB 86026, “Tschimbo, Port. Ost-Afrika” [Chemba, Sofala Province, Upper Zambezi, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Tiesler, 11.XI.1905.

ZMB 39012 and ZMB 77753–77754 (formerly part of ZMB 39012), all from “Eldama River Station, südöstlich vom Baringo-See, Britisch-Ost-Afrika” [Eldama Ravine, Baringo County, Kenya], all coll. Hermann Grote.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 316, fig. 190). Another paratype, MCZ A-17629 from “Eldama River Station”, coll. Grote was sent in exchange from ZMB in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 127).

In October 1905 and November 1907, Tiesler sent two shipments, including nearly 300 amphibians and reptiles, to ZMB. This material was collected between November 1904 and January 1906 in Portuguese East Africa [Mozambique] and described by Nieden (1915). The vouchers of this collection originated from the following localities: Cabayra, Chifumbazi, Chinta, Costa, Lukunga, Marazi, Missala, Tschimbo, Tschinoupe and from the Zambezi River without any exact locality data.

ZMB 24499, “Sangmelina, Süd Kamerun” [Sangmélina, Lobo Division, South Province, Cameroon], purch. Franz Hermann Rolle.

Afrixalus brevipalmatus Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 279, fig. 150). Perret (1976b: 21) listed two specimens, i.e. ZMB 24499 and ZMB 20132, as syntypes of H. brevipalmatus Ahl. However, Ahl’s description is clearly based on a single specimen “1 Stück [piece]” from “Sangmelina” purchased from “Rolle”. Furthermore, the collection data of ZMB 20132 from “Bipindi” [Bipindi village, Océan Department, South Province, Cameroon], coll. Georg August Zenker, do not match the information provided in the original description.

Rolle was a well-known dealer of zoological and enthnological objects. He maintained a worldwide network of collectors and suppliers and acquired several important collections. From 1889 onwards, he supplied private collectors as well as important European museums with zoological objects from Berlin. In later years, he traded objects under the name of the natural history institute “Kosmos”.

Hyperolius buchholzi

see “unlocated type specimens”.

ZMB 78576, “Westliches Russisi-Ufer und Nordwest-Ufer des Tanganyika” [West Bank of Ruzizi River, Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Rudolf Grauer (Fig. 6).

Figure 6. 

Holotype of Hyperolius callichromus Ahl, 1931a, ZMB 78576 from “Westliches Russisi-Ufer”, coll. Grauer.

ZMB 78577–78583, same data as for the holotype, ZMB 85841–85844 “Usumbura” [Bujumbura, Bujumbura Mairie Province, Burundi], coll. Rudolf Grauer; ZMB 85854 “Kililana” [opposite of Manda Island, Lamu District, Coast Province, Kenya], coll. Clemens Andreas Denhard; ZMB 86000, “Kawende” [region in south Kigoma and northwest Katawi Division, eastern Tanzania], coll. Robert Reichert; ZMB 85869–85872, “Dar-es-Salaam” [Dar es Salaam, Tanzania], collector unknown.

Hyperolius marginatus Peters, 1854.

Drawings illustrating the variation of this taxon are given by Ahl (1931b: 373, fig. 248). Ahl (1931a: 101) mentioned 27 specimens, of which we could not locate the material collected by Schubotz and Paulus in “Bagamojo” and “Zentral Afrika”. Two paratypes, MCZ A-17630–17631 from “Westliches Russisi-Ufer und Nordwest-Ufer des Tanganyika”, coll. Grauer, were sent in exchange from ZMB in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 126).

The Austrian hunter and Africa explorer Grauer undertook several expeditions to Eastern Africa, e.g. to British East Africa [Uganda] (February to May 1904 and September to November 1905) and to Tanganyika in 1907, where he met the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition” at Lake Kivu in August. Upon this meeting he handed the zoological material he had collected in the “Zwischenseengebiet” [Region between Lake Victoria, Lake Kivu and Lake Malawi, Tanzania] for ZMB and the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum (now the Natural History Museum at Tring), to the German expedition. Grauer then turned south, travelled along the west bank of Lake Tanganyika and returned to Europe in early 1909 (Schubotz 1909, 1912; ÖAW 1959; Riedl-Dorn 2001). In November 1909, he returned to Africa, on behalf of the Natural History Museum Vienna (NMW) and travelled to Lake Victoria and Lake Malawi. From there he turned further north along the African Rift Valley to Beni [North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo], from where he returned to Austria in May 1911. About 250 herpetological objects (mainly reptiles) collected during this expedition are in the collection of NMW, collected mainly in South Kivu, North Kivu and Orientale Province of D. R. Congo (Silke Schweiger in litt. 5 August 2020). The herpetological collections of Grauer’s last expedition were partly described by Steindachner (1911) and Werner (1924). We refer also to Gemel et al. (2019) for information about the type material collected by Grauer and deposited in the NMW collection.

ZMB 60230, “Vulkangebiet nord-östlich des Kivu-See’s” [volcano region northeast of Lake Kivu, Virunga Mountains, along the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Werner Alborus von Raven, X/1907.

Hyperolius castaneus Ahl, 1931.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 286, fig. 159). The German medical doctor von Raven, who specialized in bacteriology and tropical medicine, accompanied the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition” under the leadership of Adolf Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg from 1907 to 1908 (Schubotz 1909). For expedition information see account on Hyperolius adolphi-friederici.

Hyperolius castaneus

see Hyperolius adolphi-friederici, Hyperolius latifrons, Hyperolius rugegensis, Hyperolius ventrimaculatus.

ZMB 18228, “Beniló, Französischer Kongo” [Benito River, Equatorial Guinea], don. William Frederic Henry Rosenberg.

Hyperolius phantasticus (Boulenger, 1899).

The English ornithologist and entomologist Rosenberg collected mainly for the British Museum of Natural History (Günther 1906). In the accession catalogues of the herpetological department at ZMB, it is documented that Rosenberg on multiple occasions sent amphibians and reptiles to ZMB between 1900 and 1925. These vouchers were collected in Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.

ZMB 36115, “Nairobi” [Kenya], coll. Felice Thomas.

ZMB 77540–77542, “Nairobi”, coll. F. Thomas and ZMB 85884 “Kibwezi“ [Makueni County, Kenya], coll. Georg R. O. Scheffler.

Hyperolius glandicolor Peters, 1878.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 351, fig. 225).

Hyperolius concolor

see Hyperolius argentophthalmus, Hyperolius depressus, Hyperolius guineensis, Hyperolius moseri (unlocated type specimens), Hyperolius narinus, Hyperolius petersi, Hyperolius togoensis.

Hyperolius concolor guttatus

see Hyperolius guttatus, Hyperolius hildebrandti, Hyperolius maximus, Hyperolius pulcher.

ZMB 39003 and ZMB 77763–77765 (formerly part of ZMB 39003), “Westliches Russisi-Ufer und Nordwest-Ufer des Tanganyika” [West Bank of Ruzizi River and northwest bank of Lake Tanganyika, Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Rudolf Grauer 1908–1911.

Hyperolius marginatus Peters, 1854.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 405, fig. 280). Another paratype, MCZ A-17633 from “Westliches Russisi-Ufer und Nordwest-Ufer des Tanganyika”, coll. Grauer, was sent to MCZ in exchange in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 126).

ZMB 36112, “Longa” [Longa River, Angola], coll. Ludwig J. Brühl or Otto Gleim.

ZMB 31905–31906, “Angola”, coll. Brühl; ZMB 38255 and ZMB 77797 (formerly part of ZMB 38255), “Longa, Angola”, coll. Brühl or Gleim; ZMB 77752, “Angola” coll. Gleim.

Hyperolius angolensis Steindachner, 1867 (fide Marques et al. 2018).

Lectotype designation by Perret (1962). Another paralectotype MCZ A-17632 from “Longa”, coll. Brühl and Gleim, was sent in exchange from ZMB in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 127). Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 352, fig. 227). Ahl (1931a: 80) stated that seven specimens were collected by “Brühl and Gleim”. However, these two people were not active in Angola at the same time (see below). It is possible that specimens of both collectors were stored together. Thus, it is no longer possible to assign the specimens to one collector.

Gleim was Deputy Governor of the German Colony of Togo from 1896 to 1898. From 1899, he was sent to São Paolo de Loanda by the “Kolonialabteilung des Auswärtigen Amtes”, where he served as the first professional consul for Angola and French Congo. From 1910 to 1911 he was Governor of Cameroon (Schnee 1920a). On his return from Angola to Germany in 1901, he donated various collections of vertebrates and invertebrates to ZMB. In 1928 Prof. Dr. Brühl, at that time custodian at the Institut für Meereskunde Berlin, donated the insects and vertebrates he collected in Mossamedes (Angola) from 1922 to 1923 to ZMB.

ZMB 43554, “Misahöhe, Togo” [Missahomé, Agou Prefecture, Plateau Region, Togo], coll. Ernst Richard Reinhold Baumann.

Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell, 1844).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 326, fig. 200).

ZMB 85999, “Cabayra (Port. Ost-Afrika)” [? Cabaíra, Cahora Bassa District, Tete Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Tiesler, 20.VII.1905.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Ahl (1931a: 109) incorrectly names “Teisler” as collector. The exact position of the type locality remain dubious. There is also a Cabaia in the Zambézia province, district of Namacurra, area of Macuze, but it is unclear if this locality was intended.

ZMB 79543,“Edib Hills (ca. 1,200 m above sea level) Bakossi Mountain, Southwest Cameroon (4°57'N, 9°39'E)” [type locality], coll. Oliver Euskirchen and Andreas Schmitz, 03.XII.1997.

Hyperolius dintelmanni Lötters & Schmitz, 2004.

Holotype ZFMK 67871 and ten paratypes ZFMK 67441, 67443–447, ZFMK 67453, ZFMK 67872–67873 and ZFMK 67890 all from the type locality. ZMB 79543 (formerly ZFMK 67442), was given in exchange to ZMB on 18.X.2013 (see also Böhme 2014).

ZMB 36089, “Rugegewald” [Nyungwe Forest, Cyangugu Prefecture, West Province, Rwanda], coll. Rudolf Grauer.

Hyperolius discodactylus Ahl, 1931.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 364, fig. 239). According to Ahl (1931a: 90) the original series consists of seven specimens from “Rugegewald”, including the “Type” and from “westlich des Albert-Edward-Sees’s” [west of Lake Edward, Democratic Republic of the Congo], all coll. Grauer. A paratype MCZ A-17634 from Lake Edward, coll. Grauer was sent in exchange to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128). The remaining five paratypes could not be located. Liedtke et al. (2014) regarded ZMB 36089 as lectotype and restricted the type locality to “Nyungwe Forest (most likely Rwasenkoko [Uwasenkoko])”.

Hyperolius discodactylus

see Hyperolius alticola.

ZMB 4488, “Boutry” [Butre (Bootry), Ahanta West District, Western Region, Ghana], don. Hermann Schlegel (Museum Leyden), and ZMB 8850 “Victoria” [Limbe, Fako Division, Southwest Region, Cameroon], coll. Ernst Richard Reinhold Baumann.

Afrixalus dorsalis (Peters, 1875).

Peters’ (1875) description was based on an unknown number of syntypes. He mentioned several specimens found in a pond in Victoria of which we could locate only one specimen. Mertens (1938) restricted the type locality to “Boutry”.

ZMB 8830 and ZMB 65178 (formerly part of ZMB 8830), “Limbareni am Ogowe” [Lambaréné on the river Ogooué (or Ogowe), Moyen-Ogooué Province, Gabon], coll. Reinhold Wilhelm Buchholz.

Hyperolius olivaceus Peters, 1876.

Depicted in Tornier (1896, pl. 4, fig. 100 and 101) and partly redrawn in Ahl (1931b: 332, fig. 205).

The name Rappia fimbriata Tornier (1896: 153, pl. 4, figs 100, 101) is categorized as nomen inquirendum, “Name(s) unassigned to a living or extinct population” by Frost (2021). Tornier (1896) attributed the authorship of this name to “B e P” which refer to Buchholz and Peters instead of “Duméril and Bibron” as claimed by Frost (2021). Tornier (l.c.) mentioned the type material as collected at “Gowe Limbareni”, a writing error for “Limbareni am Ogowe [river]” (Peters 1876). However, Buchholz and Peters never together described a reed frog with the specific epithet “fimbriata”. Tornier’s name fimbriata does not meet the requirements of Art. 33.2 of the ‘Code’ (ICZN 1999) for an “emendation”. We therefore consider fimbriata Tornier, 1896 as an incorrect subsequent spelling of the specific epithet fimbriolata Buchholz & Peters in Peters, 1876.

ZMB 39011, “Bukoba” [Bukoba Urban District, Kagera Region, Tanzania], coll. Franz Ludwig Stuhlmann.

ZMB 75607 (formerly part of ZMB 39011), from “Bukoba”, coll. Stuhlmann and ZMB 85757, “Kenia”, coll. Johann Georg Kolb, 1894.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Depicted in Tornier (1896: 136, fig. 1) and redrawn in Ahl (1931b: 370, fig. 245). According to Ahl (1931a: 97) the original series consists of five specimens from “Bukoba”, including the “Type” and from “Kenia”, collected by Stuhlmann and Kolb. Another paratype MCZ A-17635 from “Bukoba”, coll. Stuhlmann, was sent to MCZ in exchange in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128). The fourth paratype could not be located.

The German zoologist, cartographer, explorer and colonial official Stuhlmann spent a total of 14 years in East Africa. With the financial support of the Akademie der Wissenschaften [Academy of Sciences] zu Berlin, he investigated the coastal regions of Zanzibar and the adjacent mainland including “Usegúa” and “Ungúu” in present-day Tanzania in the summer of 1888; then, until mid-1889, the area of the Zambezi estuary around Quelimane in Mozambique. From April 1890 to 1892, Stuhlmann participated as a scientist, together with Lieutenant Wilhelm Langheld, on the expedition of Mehmed Emin Pasha [also known as Eduard Karl Oskar Theodor Schnitzer] to the German East African colonial area. The expedition led them from Bagamoyo (26 April 1890) via Tabora (29 July) to Bukoba on Lake Victoria (November 1890). From here, Stuhlmann undertook a trip on Lake Victoria to Murchison Bay in Uganda (December 1890) and reached Mengo Mountain (26 to 29 December) via Manjongo [Rubaga Division, Kampala District, Central Region, Uganda]. After his return to Bukoba, he set off (12 February 1891) towards the west in the Karagwe Region, and after crossing the Kagera River (06 April 1891), the expedition reached the southwestern tip of Lake Edward in early May 1891. The expedition turned west of Lake Edward another 250 km to the north, but was terminated in mid-September 1891 due to insurmountable difficulties. With a group of 27 askaris (local soldiers serving in European colonial armies) and 100 porters Stuhlmann went back to Bukoba, where he arrived on 17 March 1891. Emin Pasha, in contrast decided to stay behind with sick expedition members, turned southwest towards the Congo River and was murdered by Arab slave traders 80 km from this destination at Kinene on Mwiko River on 20 October 1892. Stuhlmann’s herpetological collections from these expeditions were sent to Johann Georg Pfeffer at the Zoologische Museum Hamburg, who published the first results (Pfeffer 1889, 1893). Parts of these collections, including “Doubletten” [doublets], were later donated to ZMB (Stuhlmann 1893; Tornier 1896). In July 1892 Stuhlmann returned to Bagamoyo on the East African coast, where he engaged in cartography and other scientific activities in Dar-es-Salaam and its surroundings until 1901. Between December 1900 and June 1901 Stuhlmann visited India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Indonesia. After returning to Africa, he was offered the post of the director of the “Biologisch-Landwirtschaftliche Institut Amani” [Agro-biological Institute Amani] in Usambara in July 1901, a post he took up in June 1903 and held until the end of 1905. During his last stay in Africa from December 1906 to January 1908, he worked in Amani primarily on the completion of his “Kulturgeschichte von Ostafrika” [Cultural history of East Africa] published in 1909. After various tropical diseases, he left the African continent at the age of 43 years with his health “exhausted” on 27 January 1908, and returned to Germany (Stuhlmann 1891, 1893, 1894, 1909; Danckelmann 1891, 1892; Weidmann 1894; Schnee 1920b; Bindseil 2008; Schabel 1990; Wenzel Geißler et al. 2020).

ZMB 6631, “Boror” [Companhia do Boror, Zambezia Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Hyperolius argus Peters, 1854.

Depicted in Peters (1882b, pl. 22, fig. 4). Bauer et al. (1995: 44) regarded two specimens, i.e. ZMB 6631 and ZMB 6632 as syntypes of H. flavoviridis. However, Peters (1854: 628) mentioned only material from “Boror” in his original description and he specified later (1882b: 164) that he got only one male from that locality, which corresponds to ZMB 6631. Although ZMB 6632 from “Halbinsel Cabaceira” [Peninsula Cabaceira, Mossuril District, Nampula Province, Mozambique], collected in June 1843, is marked by Peters’ hand as type of H. flavoviridis in the ZMB inventory catalogues, the stated locality does not correspond with the type locality. Another two specimens from “Tette” donated from ZMB to the collection in Leiden (RMNH RENA-1780 and 1785) have been regarded as possible syntypes of H. flavoviridis (Bauer et al. 1995: 44, Gassó Miracle et al. 2007: 36). Both specimens can be excluded as types of H. flavoviridis because of the locality information, being different from the type locality. Likewise they cannot be the types of H. tettensis because of the single female type specimen mentioned by Peters (1882b: 164) is ZMB 4812 (see below).

ZMB 76095, “Karionga, Malawi, 9°55'59.6"S, 33°56'44.6"N, 472 m a.s.l.” [Karonga District, Northern Region, Malawi], coll. Vincenzo Mercurio, 07.II.2007.

Hyperolius friedemanni Mercurio and Rödel 2013.

Holotype: SMF 85694 from “Karionga, Malawi, 9°55'59.6"S, 33°56'44.6"N, 472 m a.s.l.”, coll. Mercurio, 07.II.2007 and additional paratypes: SAIAB 186000 (two juveniles) from “Monkey Bay, Malawi”, collector not mentioned.

ZMB 30637, “Antananarivo, Madagaskar” [Analamanga Region, Madagascar], coll. Karl Friedrichs [sic] aus Rostock.

Heterixalus betsileo (Grandidier, 1872).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 422, fig. 295). From October 1914 until the end of 1915, the German zoologist and colonial officer Prof. Dr. Friederichs, who was a prisoner of war during the First World War, collected in the courtyard of the French Fort Duchesne (on a hill opposite of Antananarivo, ca. 1400 m a.s.l.). Later, he continued collecting until 1916 on Kap Diego [Cap Diego, Antsiranana I District, Diana Region, Diego Suarez Province] in northern Madagascar (Schultheß 1918; Friederichs 1919).

ZMB 71184–71186 and 85925–85927, “Neu Helgoland“ [Pugulo (or Papaya Island), a small rock island in Lake Malawi, Mbinga District, Ruvuma Region, Tanzania]; ZMB 77465–77468, 85919–85921, 85928, 85964–85971, 86138, 90972, “Langenburg” [Lumbira, Mbeya Region, Tanzania]; ZMB 85922–85924, “Langenburg – Nordende des Nyassa“ [Lumbira at the northern shore of Lake Malawi]; ZMB 85972–85973, 90928, “Miramba bei Langenburg“ [Miramba near Lumbira]; ZMB 85929–85963, 85974–85988, 86017, 86132–86137, 90929–90948, “Rugwe“ [Rungwe village, Mbeya Region, Tanzania]; ZMB 86128–86131, “S’ongwe” [Songwe, at the border to Malawi on the northwestern tip of Lake Malawi, Kyela District, South Mbeya Region, Tanzania]; ZMB 86126–86127 “D.O.A.” [German East Africa], all coll. Friedrich Georg Hans Heinrich Fülleborn, 1897–1899 (Fülleborn 1900a, b) (Fig. 7).

Figure 7. 

Syntype of Hyperolius fuelleborni Ahl, 1931a, ZMB 71186 from “Neu Helgoland” coll. Fülleborn.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Two drawings showing the variation of this taxon are presented by Ahl (1931b: 349, fig. 224). According to Ahl (1931a: 76) 199 specimens were originally present. Two paratypes, MCZ A-17636–17637 from “Miramba bei Langenburg”, coll. Fülleborn, were sent to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128).

ZMB 6635, “Liberia”, don. Stephen Allen Benson, and ZMB 8668, “Liberia”, coll. Heinrich Wolfgang Ludwig Dohrn.

Hyperolius fusciventris Peters, 1876.

Peters (1876: 122) explicitly mentions the inventory numbers for the two syntypes in ZMB. The Prussian zoologist H. Dohrn travelled between 1864 and 1866 in West Africa where he collected mainly vertebrates. He exchanged his duplicates with MSNG, NMW, RMNH and ZMB (Pfaffl 2017).

Hyperolius fusciventris

see Hyperolius oeseri, Hyperolius rosaceus, Hyperolius trifasciatus.

ZMB 9299 and ZMB 77768 (formerly part of ZMB 9299), “Taita” [Taita Hills, Taita-Taveta County, Kenya], coll. Johann Maria Hildebrandt.

Hyperolius glandicolor Peters, 1878.

Depicted in Ahl (1831b: 345, fig. 219), reprinted from Peters (1878).

In March 1872, Hildebrandt travelled from Berlin via Egypt to the southwest coast of the Arabian Peninsula and to Aden, where he stayed until the end of 1872. In spring 1873, he went from Zanzibar to Karachi and travelled the Indus upwards. After returning to Zanzibar in July 1873, he travelled the Wami and Kingani (Rufu) Rivers in present-day Tanzania together with the animal trader and director of the Hamburg Zoo, Carl Gottfried Wilhelm Heinrich Hagenbeck, and then visited the southern Somali coast alone. He returned to Europe in August 1874.

In February 1875, Hildebrandt arrived again in Aden and visited the “Serrut Mountains” [Somaliland]. Then he went to Zanzibar and the Comoros (Johanna Island [Anjouan], June to September 1875). Back in Zanzibar he prepared his expedition into the Inner Africa, via Pangani [Tanzania], Lamu, through the South Gala countries up the Tana River. He had to return to Mombasa due to illness in December 1875. In November 1876 he started again from Zanzibar via Mombasa (10 January 1877) in the direction of Mount Kenya. He travelled the Taita, Ukamba and Kitui areas, but had to return to Mombasa without reaching his actual destination Mount Kenya, from which he was only a three days’ march away. He arrived again in Mombasa in August 1877 (Kurtz 1877). The type material of H. glandicolor was collected from June to July 1877 during Hildebrandt’s stay in the Taita region (Hildebrandt 1877).

Hyperolius glandicolor

see Hyperolius albolabris, Hyperolius coeruleopunctatus, Hyperolius goetzei, Hyperolius pulchromarmoratus, Hyperolius scheffleri, Hyperolius striolatus, Hyperolius bergeri (unlocated type specimen).

ZMB 53181, “Uhehe” [Uhehe Highlands, Iringa Region, Tanzania], coll. Walter Goetze, 1899.

Paratype: ZMB 53182, “Massai-Nyika” [Massai Steppe, Tanzania], coll. Oscar Rudolph Neumann, 1893.

Hyperolius glandicolor Peters, 1878.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 413, fig. 286). From 1898 to November 1899 the gardener and botanist Goetze travelled from Uhehe [Iringa Region] to Langenburg [Lumbira at the northern shore of Lake Malawi] and collected in the mountainous region between Lake Rukwa and Lake Malawi, particularly in the Kinga Mountains [Kipengere Range SW Tanzania] (Engler 1902; Urban 1917).

ZMB 4811 and ZMB 75652 (formerly part of ZMB 4811), “Mossambique”, coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Peters (1882b: 162) specified the locality for the two syntypes as “Capanga am Flüsschen Mutizi östlich von Tette” [Capanga, Maravia District, Tete Province, Mozambique] where he collected on August 8, 1845. One of the specimens is depicted in Peters (1882b, pl. 22, fig. 3).

The name Rappia granulata Tornier (1896: 151) is categorized as nomen inquirendum, “Name(s) unassigned to a living or extinct population” by Frost (2021) who placed the type locality “Tette” mistakenly in Tanzania. Tornier (1896) attributed the authorship of this name to Peters and mentioned the type specimens by number (ZMB 4811). However, Peters never described a reed frog with the specific epithet “granulata”. Tornier’s name granulata does not meet the requirements of Art. 33.2 of the ‘Code’ (ICZN 1999) for an “emendation”. We therefore consider granulata Tornier, 1896 as an incorrect subsequent spelling of the specific epithet granulosus Peters, 1867.

ZMB 85758, “Westliches Russisi-Ufer und Nordwestufer des Tanganyika-See’s” [West Bank of Ruzizi River, Democratic Republic of the Congo and northwestern shore of Lake Tanganyika], coll. Rudolf Grauer 1908–1911.

Hyperolius marginatus Peters, 1854.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 420, fig. 292).

ZMB 77464, “Guinea”, don. Hermann Schlegel (Museum Leyden).

Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell, 1844).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 285, fig. 158).

ZMB 83544, “Loanda” [Luanda, Angola], coll. Carl May.

Hyperolius gularis Ahl, 1931.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 408, fig. 281).

First Lieutenant May collected between 1901 and 1903 in Luanda and surroundings, e.g. in Mubella near Funda on the Bengo River [Municipality of Cacuaco, Luanda Province, Angola] (Matschie 1906). He donated the collected zoological objects as gifts to ZMB from 1902 to 1903 (Anonymous 1903, 1904). Recently, the type was erroneously mentioned as probably lost by Marques et al. (2018).

ZMB 8378, “Cameruns” [Douala, Region Littoral, Cameroon], coll. Georg Anton Eugen Reichenow, don. Reinhold Wilhelm Buchholz.

ZMB 4489. “Boutry” [Butre (Bootry), Ahanta West District, Western Region, Ghana], coll. Hendrik Severinus Pel, don. Hermann Schlegel (Museum Leiden).

Hyperolius concolor guttatus Peters, 1875, according to Frétey et al. (2014).

Lectotype by subsequent designation of Laurent (1961: 73). Frétey et al. (2014) corrected the type locality to “Douala” based on an account and a map of Buchholz’ Central African travels provided by Heinersdorff (1880). According to the latter, Buchholz visited “Cameroons” between October 1872 and August 1874. According to Frétey et al. (2014) the collection in RMNH holds four additional paralectotypes (RMNH RENA 1788 A–D) from “Boutry”, coll. Pel (not listed by Gasso Miracle et al. 2007). Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 354, fig. 229) figuring paralectotype ZMB 4489. For the origin, history and status of Hyperolius guttatus and drawings, photographs and redescriptions of the ZMB type specimens we refer to the revision by Frétey et al. (2014).

The Berlin ornithologist Reichenow travelled together with Lühder and Buchholz from spring 1872 on a one year collecting trip to “Akkrá” on the Gold Coast [Accra, Ghana] and the region around “Camaroons” [Douala Region, Cameroon] (Reichenow 1874; Heinersdorf 1880; Weidmann 1894; Stresemann 1943; see also remarks on Hyperolius acutirostris). Reichenow was assistant in the fish and reptile department in ZMB until Wilhelm Peters’ death. From 1883 he worked as an administrator and assistant in the mammal and reptile department. In 1888 he became curator for the reptile, bird and mammal exhibition in the new ZMB building on the Ivalidenstraße. After the retirement of his father-in-law Jean Louis Bennoit Cabanis in 1892, and after almost twenty years conducting various activities at ZMB, Reichenow took over as the curator of the ornithological collection (Stresemann 1943).

ZMB 20793, “Bamenda, Kamerun” [Mezam Department, Northwest Region, Cameroon], coll. First Lieutenant Karl Moritz Ernst Gustav Wilhelm Adametz.

ZMB 20795, 77728 (formerly part of ZMB 20793), 77798–77801 (formerly part of ZMB 20795), coll. Adametz, 1909; ZMB 27270, 77756–77757 (formerly part of ZMB 22270), coll. Hans Glauning, X–XI/1907; ZMB 22321, coll. Lieutenant Naumann, 1911; all specimens from “Bamenda”.

Hyperolius riggenbachi (Nieden, 1910).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 409, fig. 282) modified from Nieden (1910: 243, fig. 3). Lecotype designation by Laurent (1961: 76). Photograph of the lectotype in Perret (1962: 243, fig. 1). Another paratype MCZ A-17638 from “Bamenda”, coll. Adametz, was sent to MCZ in exchange from ZMB in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128).

ZMB 8378, “Kamerun” [Douala, Region Littoral, Cameroon], coll. Georg Anton Eugen Reichenow, don. Reinhold Wilhelm Buchholz.

Hyperolius concolor guttatus Peters, 1875, according to Frétey et al. (2014).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 334, fig. 207), copied from Peters (1875, pl. 2, fig. 3). The same specimen that is the holotype of H. hildebrandti is also the lectotype of H. guttatus Peters, 1875. For the origin, history and status as well as type localities, drawings, photographs and redescriptions of the ZMB types of H. guttatus and H. hildebrandti, we refer to the revision by Frétey et al. (2014).

ZMB 39099, “SW-Ussagara (Neu-Kamerun)“ [partly in error, see remarks below], coll. Reinhardt Houy, 29.XI.1911.

Hyperolius houyi Ahl, 1931a.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 374, fig. 249). The type locality indicated by Ahl (1931a: 102) is misleading and composed of two different regions which are far apart. Houy was a member of the “Lagone–Pama–Expedition 1912–13”, which he accompanied as government doctor and zoologist to “Neu-Kamerun”, and several natural history objects from this expedition were sent by him to ZMB. Together with the topographer and First Lieutenant Otto Tiller, he also accompanied the “Expedition ins Zwischenseengebiet in Ostafrika” [region between Lake Kivu and Lake Victoria] in 1911, the expedition directed by the colonial geographer Hans Heinrich Josef Meyer. According to the original label, the holotype of H. houyi was collected on 29 November 1911, at the end of Meyer’s expedition to East Afrika (see also Urban 1917). On the basis of the map showing the expedition route (Meyer 1913), the corrected type locality for H. houyi has to be “SW-Ussagara” [southern Kilosa District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania].

ZMB 6462, “Benguella” [Benguela, Angola], coll. José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta, don. José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage.

Hyperolius angolensis Steindachner, 1867 (fide Marques et al. 2018).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 284, fig. 157), copied from Bocage (1868: 844, fig. 2). The Berlin syntype was sent in 1869 in exchange from Lisbon by Bocage and was mentioned and depicted by Tornier (1896: 143, pl. 4, fig. 48). The syntypes MBL T. 21-164, 27-167 from “Benguella”, coll. Anchieta and “St. Salvador du Congo” coll. António José de Sousa Barroso were destroyed by a fire in the Museu Bocage on 18 March 1978 (Marques et al. 2018: 90). Perret (1976a: 28) corrected the type locality to “São Salvador do Congo, Angola, and Novo Redondo, Angola”. The Berlin syntype is not mentioned by Marques et al. (2018), but probably is the only remaining syntype.

ZMB 77276, “Rhodes Dam in the Nyanga National Park, Zimbabwe, 18°17'20.3"S, 32°43'24.4"E”, coll. Alan Channing, 14.XI.2009.

ZMB 77277–77279, same collecting data as for the holotype.

Hyperolius inyangae Channing in Channing, Hillers, Lötters, Rödel, Schick, Conradie, Rödder, Mercurio, Wagner, Dehling, Du Preez, Kielgast & Burger, 2013.

ZMB 36091, “Ipiana” [Ipyana (Ipanya) on Kiwira River, at the northwestern tip of Lake Malawi, Kyela District, South Mbeya Region, Tanzania], coll. Adolf Ferdinand Stolz.

Hyperolius kivuensis Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 301, fig. 175). Stolz was a mission trader and planter, working as head of the missionary station of the Moravian Church (Herrnhuter Brüdergemeinde) at Ipyana from 1898 to1903. Afterwards, and until 1914, he collected botanical and zoological objects in Kiymbila and Rungwe (Urban 1917; Jones et al. 2000). Amphibians and reptiles from his collection arrived at ZMB on 8 June 1901.

ZMB 36105 and 75606 (formerly part of ZMB 36105), “Mohasi-See, Ruanda” [Lake Muhazi, Eastern Province, Rwanda], coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz, VII/1907.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Type specimens depicted in Ahl (1931b: 396, fig. 272). The syntypes were collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908; see also remarks on Hyperolius adolphi-friederici.

ZMB 77476, “a natural pond at Karamba (2°28'44.28"S, 29°06'44.50"E, 1940 m a.s.l.), Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda”, coll. Jonas Maximilian Dehling, 20.III.2011.

ZMB 77477–77480, coll. 19.–20.III.2011; ZMB 77481, coll. 3.IV.2011; ZMB 77782, coll. 18.III.2012; ZMB 77783, coll. 24.III.2012; otherwise same collecting details as holotype.

Hyperolius jackie Dehling, 2012.

ZMB 77280, “near Gatiko, Central African Republic, 5°4'43"N, 20°40'2"E”, coll. Niels Jacobsen, 29.VIII.2006.

ZMB 77281–77298 same collecting data as for the holotype.

Hyperolius jacobseni Channing in Channing, Hillers, Lötters, Rödel, Schick, Conradie, Rödder, Mercurio, Wagner, Dehling, Du Preez, Kielgast & Burger, 2013.

ZMB 46526, “Kivu-See” [Lake Kivu, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Richard Kandt.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

The Prussian medical officer and discoverer of one of the sources of the Nile, Richard Kandt (who used Kantorowicz until 1894) explored the northwestern part of German East Africa from October 1897 to January 1898, and the region around Lake Kivu between 1898 and 1902 (Kandt 1899, 1900, 1921; Bindseil 1988).

ZMB 46525, “Bambusurwald und Waldwiesen ca. 2400 m hoch, beim Dorf des Mhcabu Gahama am Karissimbi” [Mount Karisimbi, Muzanze District, Northern Province, Rwanda; bamboo jungle and forest meadows at 2400 m a.s.l.], coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 348, fig. 223). The holotype was collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908.

ZMB 36098, “Kivu-See” [Lake Kivu, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Richard Kandt.

Hyperolius kivuensis Ahl, 1931a.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 280, fig. 151); see also remarks under H. kandti.

Hyperolius kivuensis

see Hyperolius bituberculatus (unlocated type specimens), Hyperolius ipianae, Hyperolius multifasciatus, Hyperolius raveni, Hyperolius simus.

ZMB 26089, “Kissenji, Deutsch-Ost-Afrika” [on the northeast shore of Lake Kivu close to the border of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda], coll. Franz Koehl (Köhl).

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

First Lieutenant, later Captain, Köhl served from 1912 on in the colonial “Schutztruppe” of Deutsch Ostafrika at Kissenji, and from 1916 on in various missions under General Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, e.g. at Taveta [Kenya], Port Amelia [Pemba, Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique] and Medo [Metoro, Mozambique] (Haup 1988; Fecitt 2011).

ZMB 52449. “Insel Kwidjwi im Kivu-See” [Idjwi (Ijwi) Island, Lake Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Johann Gustav Herrmann Schubotz, VI/1909.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 296, fig. 172).

ZMB 46529, “Togo”, coll. Leopold Fritz Wilhelm Edmund Conradt, 17.XII.1892.

Hyperolius laticeps Ahl, 1931a.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 342, fig. 216). Conradt was a German planter and colonial officer, who was working in “Derema” [Derema, Usambara Mountains, Korogwe District, Tanga Region, Tanzania] at the end of 1891. His collections of vertebrates made during this time were described by Matschie (1892). Later he went to Togo, being stationed in Bismarckburg [Sotouboua Prefecture, Centrale Region, Togo] from VII/1892–XII/1893 (Weidmann 1894; Conradt 1896). See also remarks on Megalixalus laevis concerning his activities in Tanzania and Cameroon.

The specimen is a juvenile Hyperolius and cannot be assigned confidently to a particular West African species.

ZMB 50278, “Bambusurwald und Waldwiesen ca. 2400 m hoch, beim Dorf des Mhcabu Gahama am Karissimbi” [Mount Karisimbi, Muzanze District, Northern Province, Rwanda; bamboo jungle and forest meadows at 2400 m a.s.l.], coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz.

Hyperolius castaneus Ahl, 1931a.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 335, fig. 208). The holotype was collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908.

ZMB 9175, “Chinchoxo (Westafrika)” [Cabinda Province, Angola], don. Africanische Gesellschaft.

Afrixalus “quadrivittatus” Pickersgill, 2007b.

See also remarks on Hyperolius adspersus.

ZMB 77299, “near Lupiro, 8°25'29.3"S, 36°41'33.1"E, Ifakara district, Tanzania”, coll. A. Danby, 9.VII.2007.

ZMB 77300, same collecting data as for the holotype.

Hyperolius lupiroensis Channing in Channing, Hillers, Lötters, Rödel, Schick, Conradie, Rödder, Mercurio, Wagner, Dehling, Du Preez, Kielgast & Burger, 2013.

ZMB 39100, “Kivu-See” [Lake Kivu, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Richard Kandt.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 369, fig. 244); see further comments under H. kandti.

ZMB 4806, “Macanga“ [Makanga Region, Tete Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Hyperolius marginatus Peters, 1854.

Depicted in Peters (1882b, pl. 22, fig. 8) and Tornier (1896, pl. 4, fig. 89). Bauer et al. (1995: 44) erroneously listed ZMB 1806 as holotype. Peters visited the Macanga region north and northwest of Tete because of its goldmines. Here he also collected the holotype of H. marginatus on the Pomfe River (one of the northern tributaries of the Zambezi) on 12 June 1845 (Hand 1848; Peters 1882b: 166; map in Futterer 1895).

Hyperolius marginatus

see Hyperolius argentovittis, Hyperolius callichromus, Hyperolius decipiens, Hyperolius graueri.

ZMB 38029 [ex MCZ, former inventory number unknown], “Derema bei Amani, Usambara Mts., Tanganyika Territorium” [Derema, Korogwe District, Tanga Region, Tanzania], coll. Mary V. Loveridge, 30.XI.1926.

Hyperolius mariae Barbour & Loveridge, 1928.

Holotype: MCZ A-13267; Paratypes MCZ A-13262–13266 and MCZ A-13268–13276, all from “Derema nr. Amani, Usambara Mtns., Tanganyika Territory”, coll. Mary V. Loveridge, 30.XI.1926. ZMB 38029 was donated by A. Loveridge (MCZ) in the 1930s and inventoried in 1958.

Hyperolius mariae

see Hyperolius bitaeniatus, Hyperolius melanophthalmus, Hyperolius noblei, Hyperolius renschi (unlocated type specimens), Hyperolius rubriceps, Hyperolius udjidjiensis.

Hyperolius marmoratus

see Hyperolius albifrons, Hyperolius asper, Hyperolius breviceps, Hyperolius dermatus, Hyperolius fuelleborni, Hyperolius granulosus, Hyperolius guttolineatus (unlocated type specimens), Hyperolius marungaensis, Hyperolius microstictus, Hyperolius nyassae, Hyperolius taeniatus, Hyperolius variegatus, Hyperolius vermicularis.

ZMB 10736, “Marunga, Angola” [in error, see remarks], coll. Richard Böhm.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Depicted in Ahl (19831b: 351, fig. 226). Ahl (1931a, b) placed the locality “Marunga” erroneously within Angola because a village of this name exists in the province of Cuando Cubango (see also Marques et al. 2018: 93).

The zoologist and anatomist Böhm, together with the explorer Paul Reichard, travelled on behalf of the “Africanische Gesellschaft” from Zanzibar via Bagamojo [27 July 1880] to Tabora, which they reached two-and-a half months later. From here they turned to Kakoma [southeast of Tabora, Tabora Division, Tanzania], where they stayed for over a year. Then they continued to Jagonda [just northeast of Kakoma]. From Jagonda, Böhm and the topographer Emil Kaiser went on a journey to Lake Tanganyika, lasting several months. They reached Karema on the western shore of the lake [Mpanda District, Katavi Region, Tanzania] and returned to Jagonda on December 23, 1881. In March 1882 they travelled along the Wala River. Dr. Kaiser died during an expedition to Lake Rukwa near Upia on 27 October 1882. Towards the end of December 1882, Böhm and Reichard left Jadonda for Karema, crossed Lake Tanganyika to Mpala (at the mouth of the Lufuku River, Tanganyika Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo) and reached the “Marunga Land” in July 1883. From here they turned southwest and discovered Lake Upemba in the Urua region [Upemba, Bukama Region, Haut-Lomami Provinz, Democratic Republic of the Congo]. On 27 March 1884 Böhm died in southern Urua, south of the Lake Upemba (Schalow 1888, Weidmann 1894). Based on Böhm’s itinerary, it is clear that he found the holotype of H. marungaensis in the Marunga Highlands, where he collected extensively in summer 1883 (Schalow 1886, 1888). Therefore, we correct the type locality to “northern Marunga or Marungu Region southwest of Lake Tanganyika, Kalemie Territory, Tanganyika Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo”.

ZMB 36113, “Ossidinge” [Ossidinge station (Mamfe), on the left bank of the Cross River, Southwest Region, Cameroon], coll. Alfred Mansfeld.

ZMB 43548–43552, “Busa” [sic], Buea [Fako District, Southwest Region, Cameroon], coll. Paul Preuss (Preuß).

Hyperolius concolor guttatus Peters, 1875, according to Frétey et al. (2014).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 366, fig. 241). Ahl (1931a: 92) mentioned eight specimens from “Ossidinge, Busa [sic, Buea], Guinea”. One paratype MCZ A-17639 from “Guinea”, coll. Pel, don. Schlegel (Leiden) was sent to MCZ in exchange in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128); another paratype could not be located. The colonial officer and ethnologist Mansfeld, who collected the holotype, arrived in Ossidinge on 30 August 1904 and was stationed there until 1907 (Mansfeld 1908).

ZMB 85670–85672, “Zanzibar” [Unguja Island, Tanzania], coll. Moriz Tup.

Hyperolius mariae Barbour & Loveridge, 1928.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 342, fig. 215). Another paratype, MCZ A-17640 from “Zanzibar”, coll. Tup, was sent in exchange in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128).

Hyperolius micops

see Hyperolius acuticeps.

ZMB 36100 and ZMB 77762 (formerly part of ZMB 36100), “Longa, oberhalb Minnescra [sic]” [above Minnesera, today Cuito Cuanavale, on left bank of Longa River (a right tributary of Cuito river) and confluence with Quiriri (Kuarliri) River, Cuando Cubango Province, Angola, ca. 1250 m a.s.l.], coll. [Hugo Baum, see below], 14.I.1900.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 353, fig. 228). Ahl (1931a: 81) mentioned no collector or donor for the type specimens. However, the syntypes were mentioned earlier by Sokolowski (1903: 541 f.) who described two Rappia specimens collected by the botanist Baum on 14 January 1900 “am Longa oberhalb Minnesera” during the “Kunene–Sambesi–Expedition 1899–1900” led by Pieter van der Kellen. Based on Baum’s notes, Sokolowsy (l. c.) almost literally described the same observations, as was later repeated by Ahl (1931a: 81), i.e. “[…] kleine auf Blättern von Sträuchern nach Art unserer Laubfrösche sitzende Fröschchen […]” […small frogs sitting on leaves of bushes like our tree frogs …]. Baum’s expedition route in Angola was illustrated by Heintze (2007, map 2).

ZMB 36094, “Mohasi-See, Ruanda” [Lake Muhazi, Eastern Province, Rwanda], coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz, 29.VII.1907.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 360, fig. 236). The holotype was collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908.

ZMB 39010, “Niansa, Ruanda, 1500 m hoch” [Nyanza (Nyabisindu), Nyanza District, Southern Province, Rwanda, 1500 m a.s.l.], coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz, 10.VIII.1907.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 377, fig. 251). The holotype was collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908.

ZMB 39002, 39005, 74953–74956, “Bambusurwald und Waldwiesen ca. 2400 m hoch, beim Dorf des Mhcabu Gahama am Karissimbi” [Mount Karisimbi, Muzanze District, Northern Province, Rwanda; bamboo jungle and forest meadows at 2400 m a.s.l.], coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 368, fig. 243). The syntypes were collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908. Another syntype MCZ A-17641 was sent in exchange to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128).

ZMB 36109, “Missionsstation Rungwe” [station of the Moravian Church (Herrnhuter Brüdergemeinde), Rungwe village, Mbeya Region, Tanzania], coll. Friedrich Georg Hans Heinrich Fülleborn.

Hyperolius kivuensis Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 278, fig. 149).

ZMB 36090, “Togo (Misahöhe)” [Missahomé, Agou Prefecture, Plateau Region, Togo], coll. Julius Smend, 9.II.1903.

ZMB 36121 (two larvae), same collection data as for holotype.

Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell, 1844).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 383, fig. 258). First Lieutenant Smend served from 1901 as district manager at the German colonial station Misahöhe.

Hyperolius nasutus

see Rappia dombeensis.

ZMB 85760–85763, “Krater des Ngori-See’s [sic] (Deutsch-Ost-Afrika)” [Ngozi Crater Lake, Poroto Mountains range, Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, Tanzania], coll. Friedrich Georg Hans Heinrich Fülleborn.

Hyperolius pictus Ahl, 1931a.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 324, fig. 198).

ZMB 85764, “Lolodorf, Kamerun” [Lolodorf, Océan Division, South Province, Cameroon], coll. Oswald Rudolf Johannes Gerhard Jacob, 1907.

Hyperolius phantasticus (Boulenger, 1899).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 378, fig. 253). In 1907 First Lieutenant Jacob (also spelled Jakob) served in the “Schutztruppe für Kamerun” as manager of the German Colonial Station Lolodorf (Hoffmann 2007).

ZMB 7729, “Yoruba (Lagos)” [Nigeria], don. Christian Ferdinand Friedrich von Krauss.

Hyperolius nitidulus Peters, 1875.

Depicted in Tornier (1896, pl. 4, fig. 118). The traveler, botanist and malacologist Krauss became director of the Königliche Naturalienkabinett in Stuttgart in 1890. He studied and collected southern African flora, fauna and geological samples between 1838 and 1840.

ZMB 85765, “Kilwa (Deutsch-Ost-Afrika)” [Kilwa (Kivinje), Kilwa District, Lindi Region, Tanzania], coll. Julius Vosseler, VI/1907.

Hyperolius mariae Barbour & Loveridge, 1928.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 400, fig. 275). On behalf of the Prussian government, the German zoologist and later director of the Hamburg Zoological Garden, Vosseler went to Deutsch-Ostafrika where he worked at the “Biologisch-Landwirtschaftliche Institut Amani” from 1903 to 1908, together with Stuhlmann (see above) (Schnee 1920b; Grimpe 1931; Wenzel Geißler et al. 2020).

ZMB 50098–50100, “Nossi-Bé” [Nosy Be (island), Diana Region, Madagascar], don. Senckenberg Museum [in error]; corrected here to “Lunda” [Lunda Sul Province, Angola], coll. Max Buchner, XII/1979–VI/1880 (see below).

Hyperolius angolensis Steindachner, 1867 (fide Marques et al. 2018).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 421, fig. 294, probably ZMB 50089). The three type specimens of H. nossibeensis were originally inventoried in 1882 as “3 [specimen] Hyperolius vermiculatus Pts.” under inventory number ZMB 10100. According to the ZMB inventory catalogue the specimens were collected by “Dr. M. Buchner” at “Lunda”.

Because of a reading error, assuming ZMB 10100 instead of ZMB 10101, a new label was written for this collection jar in the 1920s, for which erroneously the information of ZMB 10100 was adopted, viz. “Nossi-Bé” and “Museum Senckenberg”. This transmission error and the specimens became the basis for Ahl’s (1930) new description of H. nossibeensis. In 1992, Frank Glaw (ZSM) located the syntypes of H. nossibeensis in the ZMB collection. The jar with the label from the 1920s mentioned Mantidactylus granulatus from Nosy Be, ZMB 10100. Glaw and Vences (1993: 216) discussed the status and identity of H. nossibeensis, synonymized it with Hyperolius marmoratus and corrected the terra typica to “das Äthiopische Afrika” [Ethiopian Africa]. Subsequently the three syntypes were re-inventoried as ZMB 50098–50100. This was necessary as the inventory number ZMB 10100 had already been assigned to a specimen of “Mantidactylus granulatus” (= paralectotype of Limnodytes granulatus Boettger, 1881) from “Nosy Bé, don. Museum Senckenberg” (see Glaw and Vences 1993).

The physician Dr. Buchner arrived in Luanda on 5 December 1878 and travelled via Dondo (20 December 1878) and Malanje (30 January to 22 July 1879) to Mussumba in the Lunda Empire (11 December 1879 to June 1880). He returned to Malanje (28 February 1881) and via Golungo and Cazengo travelled back to Luanda, where he arrived at the end of August 1881. He finally returned to Berlin in January 1882 (Heintze 2007).

ZMB 39006, “Langenburg” [Lumbira, Mbeya Region, Tanzania], coll. Friedrich Georg Hans Heinrich Fülleborn.

ZMB 77766–77767 (formerly part of ZMB 39006), “Langenburg”; ZMB 85885–85889, “Rugwe”; ZMB 90953–90989, “Rugwe am Nyassa (D.O.A.)”; ZMB 90980–90992, “Rugwe, D.O.A.”; ZMB 90993–90995, “Konde-Nika (D.O.A.)”; ZMB 90996–90999, “Neu-Helgoland”, all coll. Fülleborn.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 340, fig. 213). Ahl (1931a: 67) mentioned 133 specimens from Langenburg (including the type), Rugwe, Mirambo [sic; Miramba], Konde-Nika, Ipiana, Transvaal, Neu Helgoland and Lindi, collected by Fülleborn and Wilms. A paratype (MCZ A-17642) from “Rugwe” coll. Fülleborn, was sent to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128). Seventy-seven other paratypes, including specimens from Miramba, Ipiana, Transvaal and Lindi, as well as material collected by Wilms could not be located.

ZMB 77755, “Bipindihof” [Bipindi village, Océan Department, South Province, Cameroon], coll. Georg August Zenker.

Hyperolius obstetricans (Ahl, 1931a).

Photo in Ahl (1931b: 365, fig. 240, horizontally mirrored) showing the specimen on a leaf with 39 eggs. The type previously was regarded as lost, however, we rediscovered the specimen, still sitting on the leaf with the eggs (see Fig. 8). In accordance with Article 75.8 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999), the rediscovery of the holotype in the ZMB collection in 2012 renders the neotype designation by Perret invalid (1966: 410; MHNG 995.48 from “Foulassi, rivière Lobô”). Since 1988 the species was a member of the genus Alexteroon Perret, 1988. However, recently Ernst et al. (2021) revised the systematic position of Alexteroon and assigned the three species to the genus Hyperolius.

Figure 8. 

Holotype of Hyperolius obstetricans, ZMB 77755 from “Bipindihof”, coll. Zenker.

The German naturalist, botanist and gardener Zenker joined the German colonial service as taxidermist in 1889. He was manager of the colonial station Jaunde (Yaoundé, Mfoundi Department, Centre Region, Cameroon) from 1890–1895 (Zenker 1890). In 1896 he settled in Bipindi on the Lokundje River where he collected natural history and ethnological objects extensively and managed different plantations until his death on 6 February 1922. The main part of his zoological collection is at ZMB (Mildbraed 1923; Frahm and Eggers 2001).

ZMB 58570, “Balaibo am Duki-Ufer” [Balaibo on Duki River, southwest of Lake Albert, Ituri Province, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Franz Ludwig Stuhlmann, 9.XI.1891.

ZMB 85766, “Golei-See [sic]” [Lake Solei or Solai, Nakuru county, Rift Valley Province, Kenya], coll. Arthur Berger, 2.II.1908.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Depicted in Tornier (1896, pl. 4, fig. 20), reproduced in Ahl (1931b: 377, fig. 252). From April 1890 to July 1892, Stuhlmann accompanied Mehmed Emin Pasha’s [actually Eduard Karl Oskar Theodor Schnitzer] expedition to the East African lake region as a zoologist. This took him as far as the northeastern part of today’s Democratic Republic of the Congo (Stuhlmann 1894). Today, his extensive zoological collections are mainly housed at ZMB and in the Zoologisches Museum der Universität Hamburg. The German physician, explorer and hunter Dr. Berger travelled to areas of British East Africa, Uganda, from July 1908 to 1909. He visited the border area with Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, and returned to Germany via Egypt (Berger 1924, 1942). A large part of the zoological objects he collected is at ZMB.

ZMB 31867, “Grand Bassa, Liberia” [Grand Bass County, Liberia], coll. Richard Oeser.

Hyperolius fusciventris Peters, 1876.

The German physician Dr. Oeser undertook various journeys, e.g. to East Asia and Indonesia (1923 as a ship’s doctor), to the USA (1925), to Central America and northern South America (1931–32) as well as to Cameroon (1936). In spring 1928 he undertook a journey along the West African coast, collecting in Benin, Nigeria, Fernando Pó, Sao Tomé and Principe, Angola, Namibia and Liberia. He collected the type material of H. oeseri and Hyperolius trifasciatus Ahl (see below). A large part of his collection was sold through the zoological wholesaler “Scholze & Peotzschke” in Berlin (Mertens 1975).

ZMB 8829 and ZMB 53264–53265 (formerly part of ZMB 8829), “Limbareni am Ogowe” [Lambaréné on the river Ogooué (or Ogowe), Moyen-Ogooué Province, Gabon], coll. Reinhold Wilhelm Buchholz.

Hyperolius olivaceus Buchholz & Peters in Peters, 1876.

Hyperolius olivaceus

see Hyperolius fimbriolatus.

ZMB 5573, “Mombas” [Mombasa, Kenya], coll. Carl Claus von der Decken.

Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell, 1844).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 274, fig. 144). The German explorer, geographer, zoologist and botanist von der Decken arrived in East Africa (Zanzibar) in September 1860. Until 1865 he undertook several expeditions to Kilwa, the Malawi Lake region, the Usambara Mountains and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and to Bardera [Baardhere, southwestern Somalia] (Decken 1869; Verdcourd 2002).

Hyperolius phantasticus

see Hyperolius chabanaudi, Hyperolius nigropalmatus.

ZMB 39000 and ZMB 77734–77736 (formerly part of ZMB 39000), “Zentrales Deutsch-Ost-Afrika” [Central German East Africa, Central Tanzania, see comment below] collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908.

Hyperolius cf. viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 344, fig. 218). Another syntype, MCZ A-17643 with identical collecting data was sent in exchange to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 130). Laurent (1961: 83) erroneously presumed that the five subadult specimens inventoried under ZMB 13701 could be the types of Hyperolius phrynoderma, but these specimens were collected at “Bukoba” by Stuhlmann and do not correspond with the locality given by Ahl for the types. Ahl’s (1931a: 72) vague locality information for the H. phrynoderma types is probably wrong and mainly based on the transfer of the expedition name to a region, i.e. “Central German East Africa” which would be geographically equivalent to today’s central Tanzania. However, the zoological collections of this expedition mainly originate from northeast Tanzania, Rwanda and the adjacent Democratic Republic of the Congo, more precisely from the region between Bukoba on the western shore of Lake Victoria, Ischangi in the south of Lake Kiwu and Irumu in the Ituru Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (see comments in Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 130; map in Schubotz 1909).

Currently, the status of this taxon is uncertain. In comparison to species in the H. marmoratus / viridiflavus group, the body is comparatively slender and the snout more pointed. Dorsal warts are distinct, and arranged very regularly, even in the single adult frog (ZMB 39000). Juveniles of the H. marmoratus / viridiflavus group have warty skin, adults usually have smooth skin). Drewes (1997) described a superficially similar-looking frog from the Serengeti, Hyperolius orkarkarri, which is currently regarded as a synonym of H. glandicolor (see Channing and Howell 2006).

Under the leadership of Adolf Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg, the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition” was carried out from 1907 to 1908, to scientifically investigate the area of the African Rift Valley (see also remarks on Hyperolius adolphi-friederici).

ZMB 3063 and ZMB 76991–76994 (formerly part of ZMB 3063), “Boutry” [Butre (Bootry), Ahanta West District, Western Region, Ghana], coll. Hendrik Severinus Pel, don. Hermann Schlegel (Museum Leyden).

Hyperolius picturatus Peters, 1875.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 333, fig. 206) copied from Peters (1875, pl.2, fig. 2).

ZMB 86001, “Krater des Ngori-See’s [sic]” [Ngozi Crater Lake, Poroto Mountains range, Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, Tanzania], coll. Friedrich Georg Hans Heinrich Fülleborn.

ZMB 85767–85781, ZMB 86002–86005, „Krater des Ngori-See’s”, coll. Fülleborn; ZMB 46533, ZMB 85782–85818, ZMB 85876–85878, “Nairobi”, coll. F. Thomas; ZMB 85819–85823, “Uhehe”, coll. Goetze; ZMB 85824, “Rungwe”, coll. Goetze; ZMB 85825, “Rugwe” and ZMB 77720, “Nyassa See”, coll. Fülleborn; ZMB 85826–85827, “Rugegewald”, coll. Grauer; ZMB 90454–90456, “Bukoba”, coll. Schubotz; ZMB 90457–90479, “Bukoba”, coll. Deutsche Zentralafrica Expedition, Schubotz, 15.VI.1907; ZMB 90480–90483, “Bukoba”, coll. ? Stuhlmann, III/1892.

Hyperolius pictus Ahl, 1931a.

Five drawings showing the variation of this taxon are provided by Ahl (1931b: 302, fig. 176). Two paratypes, MCZ A-17644–17645 from “Uhehe”, coll. Goetze were sent in exchange to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 128). Ahl (1931a: 45) mentioned 114 specimens of which we could not locate the material collected at “Iringa”, “Kivu-See”, “Kissenji” and “Kinga-Gebirge”.

Hyperolius pictus

see Hyperolius ngoriensis.

ZMB 36088, “Japoma, Kamerun” [suburb east of Douala, Region Littoral, Cameroon], coll. Hans Schäfer, 1.X.1910.

Hyperolius concolor guttatus Peters, 1875, according to Frétey et al. (2014).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 308, fig. 183), reproduced by Frétey et al. (2014, fig. 6), who also provided a photograph and redescribed the holotype. In 1910 the naval physician Schäfer collected various botanical and zoological objects in Cameroon, e.g. at Mount Manengouba, Mount Cameroon (Fako) and Japoma, that are accessioned at ZMB and the Botanische Museum Berlin-Dahlem [Botanical Museum and Garden Berlin-Dahlem] (Urban 1917).

ZMB 77751, “Britisch Ostafrika” [Kenya], coll. Richard Fritz Paul Hübner [later Huebner].

Hyperolius glandicolor Peters, 1878.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 367, fig. 242). Huebner worked from 1894 to 1913 as a merchant, banker, farmer and administrator and from 1901 to 1903 as Municipal Commissioner of Nairobi in (British) East Africa. He was active in Zanzibar (1894–1896), Mombasa (1896–1899), Nairobi (1899–1905), Kibwezi (1905–1908, together with G. R. O. Scheffler), and Voi (1908–1913), and undertook a journey from Mombasa to Kampala from June to November 1899. In 1913 he travelled to Germany for a convalescent stay because of health problems. However, his already planned return to Kenya was thwarted by the beginning of the First World War. In his spare time he was engaged in nature observations and collected interesting zoological objects, which he sent to ZMB (Sieberg 1998).

ZMB 39013, 79403–79439 and 80407 (formerly part of ZMB 39013), coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz; ZMB 43553, 43584–43590 and 79402, coll. Franz Ludwig Stuhlmann; all from “Bukoba” [Bukoba Urban District, Kagera Region, Tanzania],

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Two drawings showing the variation of this taxon are illustrated by Ahl (1931b: 299, fig. 174). Ahl (1931a: 42) mentioned 89 specimens and explicitly states that the types [“die Typen”] are among the material from “Bukoba” without specifying a number or the collector. Therefore we do not regard specimens listed by Ahl (18931a: 42) from “Rugege-Wald”, “Vulkangebiet nord-östlich des Kivu-See’s”, “Sisse” [sic], “W-Niansa” [Sesse or Ssese Archipelago, Lake Victoria, Uganda], and “Njamagelo” as part of the type series, and restrict the type series to those frogs from Bukoba.

ZMB 36102, “Tanga” [Tanga Region, Tanzania], coll. Georg Martienssen.

Afrixalus stuhlmanni (Pfeffer, 1893).

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 273, fig. 143). Hyperolius pygmaeus Ahl, 1931a, is a junior homonym of Hyperolius pygmaeus Meyer, 1875 (=Litoria pygmaea).

Between December 1896 and June 1899, the German planter Martienssen sent amphibians and reptiles from the German colony in East Africa to ZMB. The locality “Tanga” as given by Ahl (1931a) most likely refers to today’s Tanga region. It is clear from Martienssen’s correspondence with ZMB that the amphibians he sent to Berlin were collected, with few exceptions (e.g. Ukami), exclusively in “Magrotto” [plantation in southern part of Mlinga Mountains, East Usambara, Tanga Region] and “Plantation Schöller” [Bondei County near Ngomeni, east of the Mlinga Mountains, ca. 25 km SW of Tanga town] (see Gvoždík et al. 2014). Martienssen also supported the African expedition to Kilimanjaro undertaken by Yngve Sjöstedt from 1905–1906 by providing porters (Sjöstedt 1910: 3). The correspondence between Martienssen and the ZMB curators (especially Gustav Tornier), kept in the archives of the Historical Department at ZMB, reveals that “Laubfrösche” [Tree frogs, Hyperolius spp. (s. l.)] sent by Martienssen to ZMB were all collected on the “Magrotto” plantation between 17 April and 18 May 1897.

36108, “Mohorro, Deutsch-Ost-Afrika” [Mohoro (Muhoro), Pwanai Region, Tanzania], coll. Karl Grass, 22.II.1901.

Hyperolius quadratomaculatus Ahl, 1931.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 413, fig. 285). The Imperial District Administrator Graß (sometimes Grass) served his colonial service as forestry assessor: in 1899 at the forest bureau “Usimbe” [Rufiji District, Pwani Region, Tanzania], and from 1900 onwards at the joint forest and district administrative office “Mohorro” (Graß 1904; Schabel 1990). Until 1901, he sent zoological specimens to ZMB (he was stationed in Africa longer).

ZMB 77750, “Vulkangebiet nord-östlich des Kivu-See’s” [volcano region northeast of Lake Kivu, Virunga Mountains, along the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Werner Alborus von Raven, X/1907.

Hyperolius kivuensis Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 292, fig. 168). The holotype was collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908.

Hyperolius riggenbachi

see Hyperolius hieroglyphicus, Rappia riggenbachi.

36104, “Klein-Popo, Togo” [Anhéo (Anecho or Popovi), Lacs Prefecture, Maritime Region, Togo], coll. Julius Graf von Zech auf Neuhofen.

Hyperolius fusciventris Peters, 1876.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 379, fig. 254). In 1895, the German colonial officer Count von Zech went to Togo. Here he was assigned the management of the administrative station in Kete Krachi, a position which he held until 1900. He undertook several expeditions into the Togo Hinterland. In 1900 he was appointed District Administrator of the district Anecho in Klein Popo on the Togo coast. From 1905 to 1910 he was the governor of the German colony of Togo (Schnee 1920b).

ZMB 36110, “Kililana” [opposite Manda Island, Lamu District, Coast Province, Kenya], coll. Clemens Andreas Denhard, 1896.

ZMB 57530 (formerly part of ZMB 36110), same collecting data as for the lectotype.

Hyperolius mariae Barbour & Loveridge, 1928.

Lectotype designation by implication by Laurent (1961: 87) who considered ZMB 36110 (adult male) as “Holotype”. In 1878, together with his brother Gustav and Dr. med. Gustav Adolf Fischer, the German engineer and colonial economist C. A. Denhard undertook a research expedition to explore the Tana River (Kenya). One year later he explored the coastal area from Mombasa (Kenya) to Pangani (Tanzania). In 1885 an expedition led him to Lamu Island (Kenya). In 1885 he acquired land from the Sultan of Witu on the mainland coast southwest of Lamu, on which he established plantations and later (1886) ceded parts of it to the German Witu Society. In accordance with the Helgoland-Zanzibar Treaty, the “Wituland”, which was under German protectorate from 1885 onwards, was declared a British protectorate on 18 June 1890 (Schnee 1920a).

ZMB 77721–77722, “Rugege-Wald, 2000 m hoch” [Nyungwe Forest, Cyangugu Prefecture, West Province, Rwanda], collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, VIII/1907.

Hyperolius castaneus Ahl, 1931a.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 355, fig. 231).

ZMB 77221 (field no: JMD 562, now missing), “from a pond in farmland on the eastern outskirts of Butare, Huye District, South Province, Rwanda (2°37'10.79"S, 29°45'08.45"E)”, coll. Jonas Maximilian Dehling, 13. IX. 2010.

ZMB 77222, same collecting data as for the holotype; ZMB 77223, “from the Mugesera wetland south of Lac Mugesera, Bugesera Province, southeastern Rwanda (2°12'18.92"S, 30°16'18.18"E)”, coll. J. M. Dehling, 27.III.2011; ZMB 77224, “from the Mugesera wetland, Bugesera Province, southeastern Rwanda (2°12'15.95"S, 30°15'49.25"E)”, coll. Bonny Dumbo and J. M. Dehling, 27.III.2011; ZMB 77225, “from a wetland of the Akagera River, Kihere Province, southeastern Rwanda (2°13'27.63"S, 30°49'39.06"E)”, coll. J. M. Dehling, 31.III.2011; ZMB 77423–77429, “from farmland on the eastern outskirts of Butare, Huye Province, southern Rwanda”, coll. Katrin Lümkemann, Katharina Rosar and Christiane Schwarz, X/2009; ZMB 77686–77689, “from farmland on the eastern outskirt of Butare /2°35'44.1"S, 29°45'25.6"E)”, coll. J.M. Dehling, 27.II.2012; ZMB 77683–77685, “from the Mugesera wetland, Bugesera Province, southeastern Rwanda”, coll. J. M. Dehling, 26.II.2012; ZMB 77746–77748, “from a swamp in farmland on the eastern outskirt of Ruhengeri, Musanze District, North Province, Rwanda (1°30'25.73"S, 29°39'12.11"E)”, coll. J. M. Dehling, 30.II.2012.

Hyperolius rwandae Dehling, Sinsch, Rödel and Channing in Channing, Hillers, Lötters, Rödel, Schick, Conradie, Rödder, Mercurio, Wagner, Dehling, Du Preez, Kielgast & Burger, 2013.

The type material of H. rwandae, inventoried prior to the publication of the paper, was sent to ZMB in August 2017, however, without containing the holotype (ZMB 77221). On written request, we were informed that the holotype could not be found (J. M. Dehling in litt. 28 August 2017) and must therefore be regarded as lost.

ZMB 85759, “Kibwezi, Britisch-Ost-Afrika” [Kibwezi Division, Makueni County, Kenya], coll. Georg Richard Otto Scheffler, 28.-29.XII.1905.

Hyperolius glandicolor Peters, 1878.

Scheffler worked from 1899 to 1900 as a horticulturist on plantations of the German East African Society in Usambara (Nguelo and Derema), in the Useguha region [Tanzania] and from 1905 until his death on 10.VI.1911 as a farm manager under managing director Paul Huebner in Kibwezi, British East Africa (Urban 1917; Sieberg 1998).

ZMB 36087, “Tanga” [Tanga Region, Tanzania], coll. Georg Martienssen.

Hyperolius substriatus Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 287, fig. 160). For Martienssen’s activities in East Africa and locality information and collecting dates see remarks on H. pygmaeus (above) and Gvoždík et al. (2014).

ZMB 36111, “Usumbura, Tanganyika-See” [Bujumbura, Bujumbura Mairie Province, Burundi], coll. Rudolf Grauer.

ZMB 65179–65180 (formerly part of ZMB 36111), same collection data as for the holotype.

Hyperolius kivuensis Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 306, fig. 181). Lectotype designation by Laurent (1961: 82, ZMB 36111a = ZMB 36111).

ZMB 32602, “Bakel-Kidira (Oberes Senegalgebiet)” [Kidira town near Malian border, Bakel Department, Tambacounda Region, East Senegal], coll. Paul Wilhelm Heinrich Spatz.

ZMB 74853–74876 (formerly part of ZMB 32602), same locality data as for the lectotype.

Hyperolius spatzi Ahl, 1931.

Lectotype designation by Rödel et al. (2010: 185). Another paratype (MCZ A-17646) from “Bakel-Kidira”, coll. Spatz, was sent in exchange to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 131).

The German trader and zoologist Spatz carried out various hunting and collecting expeditions in the northern Sahara during which he also collected ethnological and prehistoric objects. In 1884 he travelled to Tunisia and Algeria for the first time. Further journeys to Tunisia were as follows: in spring 1891, together with Alexander Koenig and Koenig’s wife; in 1893 and from November 1896 to July 1898 together with Carlo von Erlanger; and from 1904 to 1906 together with Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz und Trützschler and Alfred Blanchet. In the early 1920s he travelled to Mauritania, to the lower Senegal River and the Spanish colony of Rio de Oro. The latter he visited again with the Berlin taxidermist Fritz Bock in spring 1926. On behalf of ZMB he made a collecting trip from Dakar to the lower Senegal River from February to July 1928, then accompanied by his son Richard (Spatz 1926 1930; Schulz-Parthu 1997). It was probably on this journey that the holotype of Hyperolius spatzi was collected.

ZMB 8359 and ZMB 59353–59355 (formerly part of ZMB 8359), “Cameruns” [Douala, Region Littoral, Cameroon], coll. Georg Anton Eugen Reichenow, don. Reinhold Wilhelm Buchholz (Fig. 9).

Figure 9. 

Syntype of Hyperolius spinosus Buchholz & Peters in Peters, 1875, ZMB 59354 from “Cameruns“, coll. Buchholz.

Acanthixalus spinosus (Buchholz & Peters, 1875).

Depicted in in Nieden (1910b: 58, fig. 124), copied by Ahl (1931b: 446, fig. 310).

Type locality corrected to “Douala” by Frétey et al. (2014); for further information see also remarks on Hyperolis guttatus. Herrmann (1989: 13) reported two additional syntypes without inventory numbers in the collection of the Zoologisches Museum Greifswald (ZMG) from “Bonjongo” [Southwest Region, Cameroon], coll. Buchholz. However, although the collector is identical, the locality of the two ZMG specimens does not correspond to the type locality “Cameruns” [= part of the present Douala, see above] given by Peters (1875: 209), and thus the ZMG specimens should not be regarded as syntypes.

ZMB 85834, “Bipindi, Kamerun” [Bipindi village, Océan Department, South Province, Cameroon], coll. Georg August Zenker.

Hyperolius stenodactylus Ahl, 1931.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 271, fig. 140). For Zenker’s activities in Cameroon, see the remarks on Hyperolius obstetricans.

ZMB 9300, “Taita” [Taita Hills,Taita-Taveta County, Kenya], coll. Johann Maria Hildebrandt.

Hyperolius glandicolor Peters, 1878.

Depicted in Tornier (1896: pl. 4, fig. 21) and redrawn in Ahl (1931b: 313, fig. 187, right specimen).

ZMB 13008, “Vitschumbi, Südende des Albert-Eduard-See’s” [Witschumbi on the southern tip of Lake Edward, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Franz Ludwig Stuhlmann.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Drawing in Tornier (1896, pl. 4, fig. 24) reprinted by Ahl (1931b: 396, fig. 271).

ZMB 36099, “Magrotto bei Tanga” [plantation in southern part of Mlinga Mountains, East Usambara, Tanga Region, Tanzania], coll. Georg Martienssen (Fig. 10).

Figure 10. 

Holotype of Hyperolius substriatus Ahl, 1931a, ZMB 36099 from “Magrotto bei Tanga”, coll. Martienssen.

ZMB 23087, “Songea” [Songea district, Ruvuma Region, Tanzania], coll. P. Preuss; ZMB 85719, “Udjidji” [Ujiji, Kigoma Province, Tanzania], coll. Stabsarzt Hösemann; ZMB 85859, “Magrotto bei Tanga”, ZMB 85996–85998, “Tanga” [Region], coll. G. Martienssen; ZMB 85858 and ZMB 85863–85865, ”Usambara” [Usambara Mountains], coll. Otto Küttner; ZMB 85860, “Marakiras (1500 m)” and ZMB 85861–85862, “Uhehe”, coll. W. Goetze; ZMB 85866 and ZMB 85875, “Amani” [East Usambara Mountains], coll. J. Vosseler; ZMB 85867–85868, “Mwa Mkoro [sic]” [Kwa Mkoro (Kwamkoro, Prinz Albrecht Plantations), Tanga Region], coll. H. Glauning; ZMB 85873, “Dar-es Salaam”, coll. F. L. Stuhlmann; ZMB 86018, “Nguelo” [Ngwelo, East Usambara Mountains, Lushoto District, Tanga Region], coll. Auguste Kummer, 1898֪–99; ZMB 86006–86011 and ZMB 86019–86025, no collecting data.

Hyperolius substriatus Ahl, 1931.

Drawings illustrating the variation of this taxon were published by Ahl (1931b: 358, fig. 234), reprinted from Tornier (1896, pl. 4, figs 65, 67, 69, 71). Ahl (1931a: 85) mentions all together 65 specimens of which we could not locate the material collected from “Konde Nika” and “Derema”. For Martienssen’s activities in East Africa and locality information and collecting dates, see remarks on H. pygmaeus, as well as Gvoždík et al. (2014).

Hyperolius substriatus

see Hyperolius scriptus.

ZMB 4531, “Boror” [Companhia do Boror, Zambezia Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Peters (1882b: 167) mentions that he received only a single specimen from “Boror” in March 1846 and depicted it in plate 22, fig. 7. An additional drawing of the holotype is shown by Tornier (1896, pl. 4, fig. 56).

ZMB 4812, “Tette” [Tete Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Hyperolius argus Peters, 1854.

Peters (1882b: 164) mentioned the sole female type specimen collected by him at “Tette” and synonymized it with a species he described, H. flavoviridis. The latter was later considered by Laurent (1961: 74) as a synonym of another of Peters’ species, namely Hyperolius argus. The type is depicted by Peters (1882b, pl. 22, fig. 5). See also remarks on Hyperolius flavoviridis.

ZMB 36097, “Afrika (ohne genauen Fundort)” [Africa, without locality information], collector or donor unknown.

Hyperolius thoracotuberculatus Ahl, 1931a.

Laurent (1961: 68) erroneously gives “360097” as the inventory number for the male holotype.

ZMB 39009, “Togo (Genauerer Fundort unbekannt)” [Togo, without precise locality information], collector or donor unknown.

Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell, 1844).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 390, fig. 264).

ZMB 85833, “Ukami (Deutsch-Ost-Afrika)” [Udzungwa Mountains,Tanzania], coll. Georg Martienssen.

Hyperolius tornieri Ahl, 1931.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 305, fig. 179). The holotype of H. tornieri was sent by Martienssen in April 1898 to ZMB. For Martienssen’s activities in East Africa, locality information and collecting dates, see remarks on H. pygmaeus, as well as Gvoždík et al. (2014).

ZMB 31868–31869 and ZMB 77976 (formerly part of ZMB 31869), “Grand Bassa, Liberia” [Grand Bass County, Liberia], coll. Richard Oeser.

Hyperolius fusciventris Peters, 1876.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 303, fig. 278). Oeser collected the type specimens together with the holotype of H. oeseri in Liberia, during his journey along the West African coast in 1928, see remarks above.

ZMB 36101, “Udjidji”, [Ujiji, Kigoma Province, Tanzania], coll. Paul Hösemann.

ZMB 85832, “Kibwezi, Britisch-Ost-Afrika” [Kibwezi Division, Makueni County, Kenya], coll. Richard Fritz Paul Hübner [later Huebner], 5.III. 1906.

Hyperolius mariae Barbour & Loveridge, 1928.

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 370, fig. 246). For Huebner’s activities in (British) East Africa see remarks on Hyperolius pulchromarmoratus; for Hösemann, see remarks on H. argentovittis.

ZMB 86013, “Ipiana” [Ipyana (Ipanya) on Kiwira River, at the northwestern tip of Lake Malawi, Kyela District, South Mbeya Region, Tanzania], coll. Adolf Ferdinand Stolz.

Afrixalus stuhlmanni (Pfeffer, 1893).

For activities of Stolz in East Africa, see remarks on H. ipianae.

ZMB 36122, “Bukoba” [Bukoba Urban District, Kagera Region, Tanzania], coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz, 15.VI.1907.

ZMB 77802–77813 (formerly part of ZMB 36122), “Bukoba”, coll. Schubotz, 17.VI.1907; ZMB 36116, “Mohasi See”, coll. Schubotz; ZMB 46518–46519, “NW-Buddu-Wald” [Minziro Forest, NW of Bukoba, Missenyi District, Kagera Region, Tanzania], coll. Schubotz, VI/1907; ZMB 46521, “Insel Kwidjwi (Kivu See)” [Idjwi (Ijwi) Island, Lake Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Schubotz; ZMB 47210, “Sisse [sic], W-Niansa” [Sesse or Ssese Archipelago, Lake Victoria, Uganda], coll. Stuhlmann; ZMB 78564, “Udjidji” [Ujiji, Kigoma Province, Tanzania], coll. Dr. Hösemann; ZMB 85831, “Kagera-Ufer” [Tanzania], coll. Stuhlmann; ZMB 85879–85881, “Bukoba”, coll. Dr. Eggel; ZMB 85882, “Mpororo” [Region in southern Nyagatare District, Eastern Province, Rwanda], coll. Schubotz; ZMB 85890–85892 and ZMb 91000–91002, “Bukoba”, coll. Stuhlmann.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Ahl (1931a: 40) mentioned a series of 47 specimens from “Bukoba” including the “Type”. We failed to locate 23 of these specimens. He also lists 11 additional specimens that we could not locate, as well as a second specimen from “Mohasi See”, coll. Schubotz and two specimens without locality or collector information. Drawings of seven specimens showing the variation of this taxon are published by Ahl (1931b: 298, fig. 173). These have been copied from Tornier (1896, pl. 4, specimen no. 26–28 and 30–33). Another two paratypes, MCZ A-17648 and 17626, from “Bukoba” collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908 were sent in exchange to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 129).

ZMB 10249 and 75602–75604 (formerly part of ZMB 10249), “Cabaceira” [Peninsula Cabaceira, Mossuril District, Nampula Province, Mozambique], coll. Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842 [part] and Afrixalus sp. [part]

Hyperolius variegatus was described by Peters (1882a) from an unknown number of specimens originating from “Mocambique (Cabaḉeira, Quellimane, Inhambane)”. Peters (1882b: 168) mentions that he first saw small specimens of this species on bushes on the “Cabaceira” peninsula in June 1843, an adult specimen on a mulberry tree in “Quellimane” in January 1846. He also lists an observation from “Prazo [estate] Boror” in March 1846, but did not mention the locality “Inhambane” in this second publication. Tornier (1896: 145, pl. 4, figs 61, 62) mentioned and depicted the two syntypes from “Quellimane, Mozambique”, both inventoried together under ZMB 4530. These could not be traced by Bauer et al. (1995: 46), nor by us. The other syntype(s) from “Inhambane” with unknown inventory number could also not be located. Laurent (1961: 67) suggested that one of the specimens under 10249 is actually a specimen of Afrixalus fornasini (Bianconi, 1849). Our examinations revealed that ZMB 10249 und ZMB 75602 are H. marmoratus, whereas ZMB 75603 and ZMB 75604 are juvenile specimens of Afrixalus. Identification on the species level was not possible for the latter two frogs.

ZMB 79542, “a flooded area in the middle of primary forest away from rivers and streams in Salonga National Park (02.88°S, 20.41°E, ca. 415 m above sea level), Province of Bandundu, Equateur Kasaï Oriental and Occidental, Democratic Republic of the Congo”, coll. Jos Kielgast, 24.–26.I.2008.

Hyperolius veithi Schick, Kielgast, Rödder, Muchai, Burger & Lötters, 2010.

Holotype: ZFMK 89607, “a flooded area in the middle of primary forest away from rivers and streams in Salonga National Park (02.88 S, 20.41 E, ca. 415 m above sea level), Province of Bandundu, Equateur Kasaï Oriental and Occidental, Democratic Republic of the Congo”, coll. J. Kielgast, 24.I.2008. Paratypes ZFMK 89608–89645 and ZMUC R771393–771412, same locality data as for the holotype, coll. J. Kielgast, 24.–26.I.2008. ZMB 79542 (formerly ZFMK 89631), was given in exchange to ZMB in October 2013 (see also Böhme 2014).

ZMB 78563, “Vulkangebiet nord-östlich des Kivu-See’s” [volcano region northeast of Lake Kivu, Virunga Mountains, along the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo], coll. Werner Alborus von Raven, X/1907.

Hyperolius castaneus Ahl, 1931a.

Drawing in Ahl (1931b: 381, fig. 256). The holotype was collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908.

ZMB 10988, “Zanzibar” [Unguja Island, Tanzania], coll. Franz Ludwig Stuhlmann.

Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842.

Hyperolius vermicularis Ahl is a nomen novum pro Rappia vermiculata Pfeffer, 1893 which is preoccupied by Hyperolius vermiculatus Peters, 1882a. A copy of Pfeffer’s (1893, pl. 1, fig. 12) drawing is depicted by Ahl (1931b: 275, fig. 145). Pfeffer (1893) mentions two specimens (catalogue no. “352”) from “Sansibar, Insel”, collected by Fülleborn on 6 August 1888. The type specimens of Rappia vermiculata are not mentioned in the herpetological type catalogues of ZMH (Hallermann 1998, 2006). A new search in ZMH collection also failed to locate the type material (Jakob Hallermann in litt. 29 July 2020). ZMB 10988 was inventoried as “Rappia vermiculata Pffr.” collected by Stuhlmann, allegedly at “Quillimane”. However, Tornier (1896: 141) stated that the locality is “Zanzibar” and depicted this juvenile specimen on plate 4, figure 34.

ZMB 10050, “Malange (Angola)” [Malanje, Malanje Province, Angola], coll. Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander von Mechow.

ZMB 9408, “Malange”, coll. Benedictus Ludwig Heinrich Otto Schütt.

Hyperolius angolensis Steindachner, 1867 (fide Marques et al. 2018).

Tornier (1896, pl. 4, fig. 29) depicted the paralectotype; figure copied by Ahl (1931b: 338, fig. 211). Lectotype by subsequent designation through Laurent (1961: 88).

The Prussian explorer and topographer Major Mechow participated in the first “Loango–Expedition” from 1873–1875 under Paul Güssfeldt (Güssfeld et al. 1879). On a second “Kuango–Expedition” (1878–81), led by himself, he and two companions, the botanist Julius Eduard Teusz and the shipwright of the Imperial Navy Jess Bugslag (or Buslag), travelled from Luanda via Malanje (June 1888) to the confluence of the Luhemba and the Cuango River (November 1880). He returned via Malanje (February 1881) to Luanda and arrived in Berlin in August 1881 (Mechow 1882; Weidmann 1894; Heintze 2007, 2018; Teusz 2018).

From 1878 to 1879, the expedition of engineer Schütt was carried out together with the architect Paul Gierow on behalf of the “Afrikanische Gesellschaft in Deutschland”. The expedition aimed at compiling topographic reconnaissance and producing maps. They started on 4 January 1878 in Luanda and reached the lower Luachimo River (3 to 9 February 1879) via Malanje (22 February to 4 July 1878), and Quimbundo (12 November to 1 December 1878). They almost reached Mai Munene. From Quimbundo they turned back through the Lunda area and reached Luanda again via Malanje (12 to 24 May 1879) on 21 June 1879 (Heintze 2007).

Hyperolius viridiflavus

see Hyperolius flavoguttatus, Hyperolius irregularis, Hyperolius kandti, Hyperolius karissimbiensis, Hyperolius koehli, Hyperolius kwidjwiensis, Hyperolius macrodactylus, Hyperolius mohasicus, Hyperolius monticola, Hyperolius multicolor, Hyperolius oculatus, Hyperolius phrynoderma, Hyperolius punctatissimus, Hyperolius schubotzi (unlocated type specimens), Hyperolius stuhlmanni, Hyperolius variabilis, Hyperolius wettsteini.

ZMB 8669, “Liberia”, coll. Heinrich Wolfgang Ludwig Dohrn.

Afrixalus vittiger (Peters, 1876).

Peters (1876: 123) explicitly mentions the inventory number of the holotype; it was also mentioned and depicted by Tornier (1896: 144, p. 147, fig. K 50, and pl. 4, fig. 50).

ZMB 36103, “Bukoba” [Bukoba Urban District, Kagera Region, Tanzania], coll. Johann Gustav Hermann Schubotz, 15.VI.1907.

Hyperolius viridiflavus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Depicted in Ahl (1931b: 343, fig. 217). The holotype was collected during the first “Deutsche Zentral–Afrika–Expedition”, 1907–1908.

ZMB 23397 (formerly two specimens, one present in ZMB collection), “Windhuk” [Windhoek, Namibia], coll. Leonhard Scheben.

Kassina senegalensis (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

Ahl (1930c: 281) exclusively designated two male specimens from “Windhuk” (ZMB 23397) as types (“Typen”). Another syntype MCZ A-17650 (formerly the second specimen under ZMB 23397) was sent in exchange to MCZ in 1932 (Barbour and Loveridge 1946: 132). Between 1909 and 1913, the German government veterinarian and farmer Scheben sent several amphibian and reptile collections from the former colony “Deutsch-Südwestafrika” to ZMB. Scheben collected in “Windhuk”, “Klein Nauas” and “Rehobot”.

Kassina maculifer

see Megalixalus maculifer.

ZMB 27374, “Mariannhill Natal” [Trappist Mission Station Mariannhill, ca. 16 km east of Durban, today eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa], donated by the Mariannhill Mission, leg. 11.XII.1912.

Kassina senegalensis (Duméril & Bibron, 1841).

The holotype was probably collected by Rev. Father Pascalis Boneberg of the Trappist Mariannhill Mission who sent several specimens to ZMB in 1913.

Kassina senegalensis

see Cystignathus argyreivittis, Kassina deserticola, Kassina modesta.

ZMB 13696, “Magrotto bei Tanga” [plantation in southern part of Mlinga Mountains, East Usambara, Tanga Region], coll. Georg Martienssen.

Afrixalus dorsimaculatus (Ahl, 1930b).

For Martienssen’s activities in East Africa and locality information and collecting dates, see remarks on H. pygmaeus, as well as Gvoždík et al. (2014).

ZMB 26911, “Ganda Ali, Annia Galla” [south of Bia Woraba in the Ennia Galla county, East Harerge Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia], coll. Carl Viktor Heinrich Freiherr von Erlanger and Oskar Rudolph Neumann, 28.–29.V.1900.