The California Academy of Sciences Gulf of Guinea Expedition (2001) I. The Taxonomic Status of the Genus Nesionixalus Perret, 1976 (Anura: Hyperoliidae), Treefrogs of São Tomé and Príncipe, with Comments on the Genus Hyperolius

Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences, 875 Howard Street, San Francisco, California 94103, USA

Email: rdrewes at calacademy.org; jwilkinson at calacademy.org

Abstract

The endemic hyperoliid treefrogs of São Tomé and Príncipe currently recognized asNesionixalus thomensis (Bocage, 1986) and N. molleri (Bedriaga, 1892) are re-examined. The results of two molecular analyses indicate that these taxa are closely related to each other (monophyletic) but nest within the genus Hyperolius. A comparison of the morphological character states used by Perret (1976; 1988) to erect the genus Nesionixalus from within Hyperolius Rapp with a broad range of Hyperolius species reveals that most of these are not unique to the island endemics; all except the characters of size and digital tip shape are distributed among a number of other species within the latter genus. Nesionixalus Perret, 1976 is returned to the synonymy of Hyperolius Rapp and Nesionixalus thomensis and N. molleri to Hyperolius thomensis Bocage and H. molleri Bedriaga, respectively.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES  55(20):  395–407

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