Description
A terrestrial grassland inhabitant from the Itombwe highlands in R. D. Congo, males small (19–24 mm), females large (27–34 mm). Dorsum green and brown with black dots and with a metallic sheen similar to that of some beetles. There is no distinctive juvenile pattern.

This species has lumbar amplexus, a unique character among the Hyperoliidae.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Congo, the Democratic Republic of the

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (2 records).

Endemic to flooded grasslands above 2800 m in the Itombwe highlands of eastern R. D. Congo.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Nothing is known of call, eggs, deposition sites or larval development.

Trends and Threats
The population status is unknown. This species was not recorded between its description in 1951 and rediscovery in 2011 by an expedition led by Eli Greenbaum of University of Texas El Paso.

Comments
First described by Laurent (1951). Laurent (1964) suggested that C. cupreonitens is a specialised offshoot from Hyperolius castaneus.

This account was taken primarily from "Treefrogs of Africa" by Arne Schiøtz with kind permission from Edition Chimaira publishers, Frankfurt am Main.

References

Laurent, R.F. (1951). ''Deux reptiles et onze batraciens nouveaux d'Afrique Centrale.'' Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines, 44, 360-381.

Laurent, R.F. (1964). ''Adaptive modifications in frogs of an isolated highland fauna in Central Africa.'' Evolution, 18(3), 458-467.

Schiøtz, A. (1999). Treefrogs of Africa. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2011 Chrysobatrachus cupreonitens <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/481> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 4, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 4 Dec 2024.

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