Morerella Rödel, Kosuch, Grafe, Boistel, Assemian, Kouamé, Tohé, Gourène, Perret, Henle, Tafforeau & Pollet, 2009, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Rödel, Mark-Oliver
name: Kosuch, Joachim
name: Grafe, Ulmar
name: Boistel, Renaud
name: Assemian, Emmanuel
name: Kouamé, N'Goran G.
name: Tohé, Blayda
name: Gourène, Germain
name: Perret, Jean-Luc
name: Henle, Klaus
name: Tafforeau, Paul
name: Pollet, Nicolas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Hyperoliidae
Morerella

description: Morerella gen. nov. Rödel, Kosuch, Grafe, Boistel & Veith
Comparative diagnosis. This monotypic genus is characterized as follows: medium-sized tree-frogs with slender body and large protruding eyes; pupil horizontally oval (Acanthixalus, Afrixalus, Arlequinus, Callixalus, Kassina, Kassinula, Opisthothylax, Paracassina, Phlyctimantis, Semnodactylus, Tachycnemis have rhomboidal square or vertical pupils); tympanum small but distinct (absent in Acanthixalus, Callixalus, Chrysobatrachus, Opisthothylax, absent or indistinct in most Hyperolius and Afrixalus); males with medium sized, medioposterior gular gland (gland shared among males of all hyperoliid species); no thin dilatable skin beneath and around gular gland (only shared with Opisthothylax and Tachycnemis, all other hyperoliid genera with differing gular glands); males with small spines on back and on extremities (spines on back and/or extremities are also present in male Acanthixalus, Afrixalus, Alexteroon obstetricans, Arlequinus, Chlorolius, some Hyperolius, all other hyperoliids without spines); sphenethmoid not visible dorsally (similar in: Acanthixalus, Afrixalus, Callixalus, Chrysobatrachus, Opisthothylax, Paracassina, Kassina senegalensis ruandae, Heterixalus and many Hyperolius; sphenethmoid dorsally visible to some extent: Crypthothylax, Kassina, Kassinula, Semnodactylus, Phlyctimantis, Tachycnemis, some Hyperolius); ventroanterior portion of sphenethmoid unfused, consisting of two elements (a single bony plate in some Kassina, Semnodactylus, some Phlyctimantis, Paracassina); non-imbricate neural arches that do not completely roof the spinal canal (imbricate, concealing the spinal canal in Cryptothylax, Kassina, Paracassina, Phlyctimantis, Semnodactylus); transverse processes of eighth vertebra not angled markedly forward (markedly angled forward in some Afrixalus, some Hyperolius, some Kassina, Semnodactylus, Kassinula, Opisthothylax); a greatly forked omosternum, where the space between arms is more than twice the width of one arm (omosternum unforked or forked in a way that the space between arms is less than twice the width of one arm: Callixalus, some Hyperolius, Paracassina); a thyrohyal that is positioned on a cartilaginous stalk (shared with all other hyperoliid genera); form of anterior horn of hyoid shared with most other hyperoliids (with exception of some Kassina, some Hyperolius, and Paracassina); posterolateral process of hyoid absent (present in Acanthixalus, Cryptothylax, Heterixalus, Semnodactylus and Tachycnemis); sternum completely ossified (at least partly cartilaginous in all other hyperoliid genera); discs on finger and toe tips round (broader than long in Acanthixalus, Arlequinus); intercalary elements of phalanges completely mineralized (at least centre cartilaginous in Acanthixalus, Callixalus, Chrysobatrachus, Opisthothylax); third carpal bone on foot free, not fused with fourth and fifth (family character); sexes dichromatic (this applies, as in other hyperoliid genera, to adults only; similar in coloration in: Acanthixalus, Afrixalus, Alexteroon, Arlequinus, Callixalus, Chlorolius, Chrysobatrachus, Kassina, Kassinula, Opisthothylax, Paracassina, Phlyctimantis, Semnodactylus, some Hyperolius and Heterixalus); short advertisement call that is tonal, grouped, and not pulsed (principle characters shared with Alexteroon, Kassinula and Opisthothylax; Acanthixalus, Arlequinus and Callixalus are believed to be mute; however, an outstanding bell-like sound from Acanthixalus spinosus was reported by Amiet 1989; other genera with differing characters of advertisement call or call unknown; Tab. 3); arboreal eggs and aquatic larval stages (reproductive modes of Callixalus, Chrysobatrachus, Kassinula and Tachycnemis not known; arboreal egg deposition shared with Acanthixalus, Afrixalus, Alexteroon, Arlequinus, possibly Chlorolius, some Hyperolius that live in forest environments, and Opisthothylax); eggs deposited exposed on leaves or small branches (terrestrial clutches of other hyperoliid species are often protected by being folded into or covered by leaves, many Afrixalus and some Hyperolius, e.g. concolor, viridistriatus; foam: Opisthothylax, or egg guarding: Alexteroon); cytochrome b, 16S and 12S rDNA sequences different to the nine other hyperoliid genera with known genetic sequences (see above). Based on its genetic characters and the gular glands in males, Morerella gen. nov. is clearly defined as a member of the family Hyperoliidae. The type species is described below.
Etymology. The genus is dedicated to Jean-Jacques Morère who first discovered these frogs.
by -. Genera that contain species with both high and low values are indicated by +/-; * = formerly Nesionixalus.
description: Published as part of Rödel, Mark-Oliver, Kosuch, Joachim, Grafe, Ulmar, Boistel, Renaud, Assemian, Emmanuel, Kouamé, N'Goran G., Tohé, Blayda, Gourène, Germain, Perret, Jean-Luc, Henle, Klaus, Tafforeau, Paul & Pollet, Nicolas, 2009, A new tree-frog genus and species from Ivory Coast, West Africa (Amphibia: Anura: Hyperoliidae), pp. 23-45 in Zootaxa 2044 on pages 28-29, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.186394