Loader Simon P, Lawson Lucinda P, Portik Daniel M, Menegon Michele
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Biogeography Research Group, Basel, 4056, Switzerland.
Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1025 E. 57th Street, Culver Hall 402, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
BMC Res Notes. 2015 Apr 25;8:167. doi: 10.1186/s13104-015-1050-y.
The East African spiny-throated reed frog complex (Hyperolius spinigularis, H. tanneri, and H. minutissimus) is comprised of morphologically similar species with highly fragmented populations across the Eastern Afromontane Region. Recent genetic evidence has supported the distinctiveness of populations suggesting a number of cryptic species. We analyse newly collected morphological data and evaluate the taxonomic distinctiveness of populations.
We find three new distinct species on the basis of morphological and molecular evidence. The primary morphological traits distinguishing species within the Hyperolius spinigularis complex include the proportions and degree of spinosity of the gular flap in males and snout-urostyle length in females. Other features allow the three species to be distinguished from each other (genetics). We refine the understanding of H. minutissimus which can be found in both forest and grassland habitats of the Udzungwa Mountains, and provide more details on the call of this species. Further details on ecology are noted for all species where known.
Three new species are described and we narrow the definition and distribution of Hyperolius spinigularis and H. minutissimus in East Africa. The spiny-throated reed frogs have highly restricted distributions across the fragmented mountains of the Eastern Afromontane region. Given the newly defined and substantially narrower distributions of these spiny-throated reed frog species, conservation concerns are outlined.
东非多刺喉芦苇蛙复合体（多刺喉芦苇蛙、坦氏芦苇蛙和超小芦苇蛙）由形态相似的物种组成，其种群在东非山地地区高度分散。最近的遗传学证据支持了种群的独特性，表明存在一些隐存物种。我们分析新收集的形态学数据，并评估种群的分类独特性。
基于形态学和分子证据，我们发现了三个新的独特物种。区分多刺喉芦苇蛙复合体中各物种的主要形态特征包括雄性喉部皮瓣的比例和多刺程度以及雌性吻 - 尾长。其他特征使这三个物种能够相互区分（遗传学方面）。我们完善了对超小芦苇蛙的认识，它可在乌德宗瓦山脉的森林和草原栖息地中找到，并提供了该物种叫声的更多细节。对于所有已知物种，还记录了生态学方面的更多细节。
描述了三个新物种，我们缩小了东非多刺喉芦苇蛙和超小芦苇蛙的定义和分布范围。多刺喉芦苇蛙在东非山地地区破碎的山脉中分布范围极为有限。鉴于这些多刺喉芦苇蛙物种新定义且大幅缩小的分布范围，概述了保护方面的担忧。
