Redescription of A. fonensis (Rödel & Bangoura, 2004) Figs. 12–14 Holotype. SMNS 11788, adult male, Guinea, Simandou Range, northwest flank of Pic de Fon, 8°36′N, 8°51′W; 6 November 2002, leg. M.A. Bangoura. Paratypes. SMNS 11790, adult male, Guinea, Simandou Range, village situated to the northwest of Pic de Fon, 3 November 2002, leg. M.A. Bangoura; ZFMK 64481–64482, adult males, Guinea, Park National du Haut Niger, November 1996 – February 1997, leg. G. Nikolaus. Referenced specimens. Six males, one female; ZMB 79185 (field #: TI 60, GenBank #: 16S: MG552336), adult female, Sierra Leone, Tingi Hills, 8°52′2.1″N, 10°47′32.1612″W, 4 June 2007, leg. J. Johnny & A. Hillers; ZMB 79203 & 84733 (field #: SI 032–033, GenBank #: 16S: MG552334 & MG552340), two adult males, Guinea, Korombadou, 9°16′49.62″N, 9°6′ 52.0812″W, 5 October 2008, leg. J. Doumbia & A. Hillers; ZMB 79208 (field #: TI 020, GenBank #: 16S: MG552335), adult male, Sierra Leone, Tingi Hills, 8°53′25.44″N, 10°47′24.7812″W, 1 June 2007, leg. J. Johnny & A. Hillers; ZMB 90058 (field #: N044, 09-609), adult male, Guinea, N’Zérékore, 7°35′33.3″N, 8°28′5.4″W, 24 October 2009, leg. J. Doumbia, L. Sandberger, K. Camara & F. Gbêmou; ZMB 90158 (field #: LI10 088), adult male, Liberia, Tokadeh, 7°26′40.704″N, 8°39′27.972″W; 22 November 2010, leg. J. Penner & N.L. Gonwouo; ZMB 90160 (field #: PG.L. 15/041), adult male, Ivory Coast, 7°0′15.1488″N, 5°34′37.0344″W, 7 May 2015, leg. J. Penner & N.L. Gonwouo. For diagnostic differences to A. parva sp. nov., please see the diagnosis of the new species above. Description (based on the type series and seven additional specimens; measurements in mm, see Table 5). Medium-sized, slender frog, SVL of males range from 48.7 to 65.3 (mean ± sd: 57.2 ± 5.2, N= 10); a female measured 68.0; head slightly longer than broad, approximately one third of SVL; snout acuminate with rounded tip in dorsal view, narrowly rounded in lateral view; tympanum diameter around 85% of eye diameter, in two type specimens (SMNS 11788 & 11790) tympanum slightly larger than eye; inter-orbital distance slightly smaller than eye diameter; nostril closer to snout than to eye; canthus rostralis distinct and rounded; loreal region concave; dorsolateral ridge broad and protruding, only two male individuals show slight discontinuities in the posterior third of the ridge; males with large humeral glands on anterocraniad part of upper arms; area of humeral gland spans between 13.5–26.4 mm 2 (20.5 ± 4.86, N= 10); fingers long and thin, without webbing; tips rounded, forming small discs; finger formula: II 100); the peak of calling activity was between 20:40 GMT and 21:30 GMT. Likewise between 14:45 and 16:00 GMT, we observed numerous calling males (N> 70); the peak of calling activity was at 14:57 GMT. In Foma, females attached eggs to grasses emerging from flowing water. After a few hours these eggs became submerged. In Wataférédou, the eggs were deposited between roots of trees and shrubs in the forest streams. The dark brown and yellow eggs were deposited in large clumps (Fig. 14b, c). We counted 809, 1074, and 2017 eggs in three clutches. The egg diameter ranged from 0.9‒2.4 mm (mean ± sd: 2.1 ± 0.42 mm mm; N= 100). We observed aquatic heteropterans (family Nepidae) preying on the eggs. It is likely that the tadpoles described by Lamotte (1957) from the Simandou range, can actually be assigned to A. fonensis. At Wataférédou, where A. fonensis was breeding, the forest stream was regularly polluted by people washing laundry. The edges of this gallery forest were degraded by subsistence farming, and cattle, and cleared for charcoal production and fuelwood.

Published as part of Griesbaum, Frederic, Jongsma, Gregory F. M., Penner, Johannes, Kouamé, N'Goran Germain, Doumbia, Joseph, Gonwouo, Nono L., Hillers, Annika, Glos, Julian, Blackburn, David C. & Rödel, Mark-Oliver, 2023, The smallest of its kind: Description of a new cryptic Amnirana species (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) from West African rainforests, pp. 301-339 in Zootaxa 5254 (3) on pages 319-322, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5254.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7727536