Description
A small slender Hyperolius (20–27 mm) from the savanna of the western part of West Africa, the sexes of equal size and with the same pattern. Dorsum with a dark vertebral line and two dark dorsolateral lines delimiting a light line. Pupil horizontal.

Very similar to H. nasutus in many characters such as body dimensions, habitat preference and pattern, with H. nasutus showing a tendency towards the same five dark stripes on the back. The stripes in lamottei, especially in its eastern populations, are however much more distinct, and are also present in females (West African females of H. nasutus are unstriped). The two species are almost sympatric in central Côte d’Ivoire (near Lamto) without signs of transition. Generally H. lamottei seems to vicariate for H. nasutus.

The tadpole has a tooth formula of 1/1+1,1 which is one tooth row less than other members of the genus.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

A common and abundant savanna form from western West Africa.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
The males call from grass covering small temporary puddles. The voice is a shrill, high-pitched sound, quite unlike other Hyperolius voices. An analysis shows that the voice, which has a duration of 0.06–0.08 sec and a frequency intensity maximum of 3500–4000 cps, is made up of a large number of harmonics about 400 cps apart.

The eggs may be placed under water as in H. nasutus. They are small with a white and black pole. The jelly is clear.

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

References

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

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Hyperolius lamottei <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/542> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 7, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 7 Nov 2024.

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