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The Xenopus fraseri subgroup contains several morphologically very similar, small- to medium-sized species that mainly occur in Central Africa. Only two species, X. pygmaeus and X. fraseri, have previously been reported from south of the Congo Basin. The latter has frequently been confused with X. andrei, a closely related species reported to be restricted to Cameroon, Gabon, and the Central African Republic. The actual distribution of X. fraseri is therefore in need of a critical revision, and southern Central African records are to be reassessed. Here we report the first confirmed record of Xenopus andrei from the Serra do Pingano, Uíge Province, Angola. The presence of the species in northern Angola sheds light on the palaeoclimatic history of the region and supports a hypothesized link between Central African forest biomes and the disconnected forest fragments of northern Angola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of foam nests as incubation environments for anuran eggs and larvae and is a good example to show the adaptation to the various selective pressures associated with terrestrial reproduction. It mentions that the materials used for foam nest construction must be comparatively resistant to physical and chemical damage and environmentally resilient. A combination of several proteins that predominate in foam nests is also explained.

The aromobatid frog Allobates amissibilis sp. nov. is described from a very limited area in the Iwokrama Mountains at elevations between 160 and 950 m, in central Guyana, South America. The new taxon is diagnosed from other Allobates species by morphology, bioacoustics, and genetics, and can be distinguished readily from known congeners by cryptic colouration, small size (16.3–17.8 mm snout-vent length), absence of distinct dorsal pattern in living adult individuals, presence of a distinctly enlarged tubercle on each eyelid, diffuse broad oblique lateral stripe extending from groin to about midbody length, sexually dimorphic throat colouration (pinkish grey, suffused with dark pigment in male, immaculate cream to yellow in female), belly cream to yellow in both sexes, and distinct vocalisation formed by calls of usually 9–12 notes emitted between silent intervals of usually ca . 2–6 s, with a dominant frequency ranging from 5,064 to 5,845 Hz. The new species is the third microendemic reported from the Iwokrama Mountains together with the caecilian Caecilita iwokramae and the lizard Gonatodes timidus. We recommend considering the conservation status of the new species as Data Deficient, and highlight that environmental impact assessments are needed to refine its IUCN threat status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]