Rediscovery of the Liberian Nimba toad, Nimbaphrynoides liberiensis (Xavier, 1978) (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae), and reassessment of its taxonomic status

Abstract

We report on the search and rediscovery of the Liberian Nimba toad, Nimbaphrynoides liberiensis, 30 years after its original description. A small surviving population could be traced in the surroundings of the type locality Mount Alpha, Liberia. The type locality was meanwhile destroyed by open cast mining. Similar to the Guinean Nimba toad, Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis, the Liberian toad lives exclusively in open, savanna like habitats above 1200 m a.s.l. The presumably few surviving individuals and the small and patchy distribution classify the Liberian toads as Critically Endangered (Stuart et al. 2008). A morphological, acoustical and genetic comparison of Liberian and Guinean populations revealed only minor, but distinct morphological (size, colour) differences. Genetically and acoustically the two taxa were indistinguishable. We therefore propose to consider the two populations as conspecific and to consider Nimbaphrynoides liberiensis (Xavier, 1978) as junior synonym of Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis (Angel, 1943). Because of the morphological differences we propose to treat the Liberian population as a subspecies of the Guinean toad and herein introduce the new name: Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis liberiensis.

West Africa - A Safe Haven for Frogs? A Sub-Continental Assessment of the Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)

“…Therefore three West African species are of major conservation concern with regards to Bd infection: Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis (samples tested herein: n = 62), Conraua alleni (n = 86) and Petropedetes natator (n = 158). The Nimba toad, N. occidentalis , is the only truly viviparous anuran species and is restricted to narrow ranges of high altitude grasslands of the Nimba Mountains, which are situated at the border between Guinea, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire [111], [112 and citations therein]. This species is listed as “Critically Endangered” because of its very small distribution range and the decline of suitable habitats [113].…”

Herpetological surveys in two proposed protected areas in Liberia, West Africa

“…Likewise, the French Jean Guibé and Maxime Lamotte dealt predominantly with the fauna of the Guinean part of Mount Nimba, but included Liberian material in their papers (Guibé andLamotte 1958a, 1963). From the Liberian part of Mount Nimba a second species of viviparous toad, Nimbaphynoides liberiensis, was described (Xavier 1978), which was, however, later synonymized with the Guinean populations (Sandberger et al 2010). Further Liberian records and new species were published by Parker (1936) and Taylor and Weyer (1958).…”

A New Dichromatic Species of Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from the Nimba Mountains, Guinea

“…The Nimba Mountains as a Center of Bat Diversity and Endemism: The Nimba Mountains are well known as a center of biodiversity and endemism (Brosset, 2003;Lamotte and Roy, 2003;Wieringa and Poorter, 2004;Sandberger et al, 2010;Denys and FIGURE 11. Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction of subgenus Chrysopteron using an alignment of 634 base pairs of mitochondrial gene cytochrome b.…”