Leptopelis spiritusnoctis
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Leptopelis spiritusnoctis

Leptopelis spiritusnoctis is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. It is found in West Africa from Guinea to the Niger Delta in Nigeria, the intervening countries being Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. This species was previously known as Leptopelis hyloides, but that name is actually a junior synonym of Leptopelis viridis.

Animal name origin

The specific name spiritusnoctis means "spirit of the night" and is derived from the Latin words noctu meaning "at night", and spiritus meaning "spirit" or "soul". It describes the nocturnal habit of this species and its whispering buzzing sounds, audible all over the forests during rainy nights.

Appearance

Males measure 25–33 mm (0.98–1.30 in) and females 43–52 mm (1.7–2.0 in) in snout–vent length. The colouration is variable< the dorsum is light brown to dark chocolate brown<; the anterior loreal region, canthus rostralis, and supratympanal fold are darker in colour. There is a dark, interorbital triangle that points backward and typically connects to a reversed Y- or U-like pattern in the scapular region; there may also be irregular shaped, scattered dark spots and points. An irregularly shaped lumbar blotch is almost always present. The iris is silver-grey, or yellow to red in its uppermost forth to third. The tadpoles are eel-shaped and darkly pigmented. They measure 34 mm (1.3 in) in total length, or larger.

References

1. Leptopelis spiritusnoctis Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptopelis_spiritusnoctis
2. Leptopelis spiritusnoctis on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/56258/18388424

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