Mindje, M., S. Glebsattel & J. M. Dehling

Advertisement call and tadpole of Cardioglossa cyaneospila (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Nyungwe National Park and Gishwati-Mukura National Park, Rwanda. pp. 347-353.

Abstract. We present the first descriptions of the advertisement call and of the tadpole of Cardioglossa cyaneospila, a rare anuran species that is endemic to montane rainforests of the Albertine Rift in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We report on two additional records from Nyungwe Forest and specify a previous record from Gishwati Forest, all in the Western Province of Rwanda. The advertisement call was emitted in loose series of three calls. The first call of the series consisted of 3 notes and lasted 333–337 ms, subsequent calls consisted of 4 notes and lasted 394–419 ms. Dominant frequency slightly increased within a call from 2906–3000 Hz in the first note to 3046–3100 Hz in the last note. The fundamental frequency band was at about 1450–1550 Hz, an additional prominent frequency band at about 4400–4650 Hz, and another one at about 5900–6200 Hz. Prevalent bandwidth was 2800–3200 Hz. The advertisement call of C. cyaneospila is most similar to the advertisement calls of the Cameroonian montane species (C. oreas, C. pulchra, and C. venusta) in being composed of several distinct pulsatile double-unit notes. We describe a tadpole in Gosner stage 41 collected in a small stream in Gishwati Forest. It matches the general characteristics of tadpoles of Cardioglossa in being medium-sized and having a long spiracle and a stream-adapted eel-like shape with long, muscular tail with narrow fins. The posterior lip is dominated by conspicuous papillae, the tadpole lacks labial teeth (0/0) and the upper and lower jaws are distinctly and strongly serrated. Unlike in any other Cardioglossa tadpole, the anterior lip of the tadpole of C. cyaneospila has papillae on its outer edges. It has a depressed and elliptical body in dorsal and lateral views. The tail makes up about 3/4 of the total length and its fins originate at about one-eighth of the tail length posterior to tail base.

Key words: Albertine Rift, montane rainforest, endemism, ecology, bioacoustics, amphibians.