Leptopelis diffidens, Tiutenko & Zinenko, 2021, Tiutenko & Zinenko, 2021

Description of the tadpole

The tadpole is free swimming and benthic. It occupies both, lentic and lotic habitats (fig. 2): temporary pools filled with rainwater, but more usually — shallow, temporary seasonal or permanent streams, slowly flowing over more-or-less open spaces in the forest, such as glades and margins of settlements, as well as areas with sparse tree growth.

External morphology

Absolute morphometric values of four voucher specimens are given in Table 1 View Table 1 . (See this table also for the meanings of abbreviations used below.)

Body ovoid (fig. 3), BW/SVL 0.59–0.64; maximum width — at about 2/3 of the length; feebly depressed, BH/SVL 0.47–0.51. Snout nearly round in dorsal view. Eye diameter (ED/BL) 0.10; eyes positioned dorsolaterally, IOD/BW 0.30. Nares present, visible in dorsal view, positioned dorsolaterally, IND/BW 0.20. Spiracle feebly visible, sinistral, anterior to mid-body, SSD/ SVL 0.40–0.42; tube length ca. 0.11–0.15 of body length (SL/SVL).

Tail length 0.64–0.68 of total length. Tail tip narrow, blunt. Muscle axis strong and pronounced. Dorsal fin curved, originating posteriorly to dorsal tail-body junction with maximum height at approximately 1/2 of tail length; ventral fin lower than tail muscle with maximum height of approximately 2/3 of tail length, originating on ventral terminus of body; maximum height of ventral and dorsal fins is almost equal; maximum tail height including fins approximately equals body height; tail axis width (in dorsal view) 0.37–0.44 of body width (AW/BW); maximum height of tail axis (at base) 0.58 of body height (AH/BH); tail axis height (at base) higher than maximum height of dorsal fin (DF/AH 0.55–0.57). Vent tube dextral, basicaudal.

Oral morphology

The oral disc (fig. 3) is positioned subterminally, but directed slightly forward. Its papillae are not visible in dorsal view. The disc is posteriorly not emarginate. The posterior labium is slightly protruding downwards. There is one row of globular marginal papillae. The papillae are larger and longer posteriorly; the anterolateral and lateral papillae are smaller.

All four specimens have the same layout of keratodonts: 1:1+1/2. There are two continuous posterior keratodont rows, and the number of anterior rows seems to remain constant in the tadpoles of this age: one continuous row and one interrupted.

The jaw sheaths are moderately strong; the posterior sheath is strongly V-shaped and overall much heavier than the anterior; the latter is laterally curved and medially nearly even.

Colouration

The tadpole appears brown or grey-brown, both in preservative and in life. Dorsum and flanks are dark brownish coloured. Venter skin is translucent, so that the brown intestines are clearly visible through the skin. The tail muscle is grey-brown above and whitish below. The fins are translucent and covered with brown speckles, whose density increases posteriorly and medially, at the tail muscle. The speckles may aggregate on the dorsal side of the tail and on the dorsal fin to form small blotches. The iris is blackish.