HEMISUS MICROSCAPHUS LAURENT 1972, A LITTLE-KNOWN ETHIOPIAN ENDEMIC (AMPHIBIA-ANURA)

Hemisus microscaphus Laurent 1972, an Ethiopian endemic previously kno wn in the literature only from the holotype, is reassessed on the basi s of 24 additional specimens that provide new data on the morphology, habitat and distribution of the species. It is compared with H. marmor atus Peters 1854, the only other member of the genus known to occur in Ethiopia, and with H. guineensis Cope 1865 and H. olivaceus Laurent 1 963 from neighbouring territories. A very small inner metatarsal tuber cle readily distinguishes H. microscaphus from all its congeners excep t the Zairean species H, olivaceus, which it resembles both morphologi cally and in ecological associations; an observation which leads to sp eculation about whether this similarity might reflect close relationsh ip or is more a product of convergent evolution.