Description

A small to medium-sized Hyperolius (males 19-28 mm, females 19-27 mm). Males brownish to green, usually with a white dorsolateral line and rather small gular flap. The females have a uniform green dorsum delimited from the white ventrum by an irregular black lateral line. Pupil horizontal.

H. cinnamomeoventris is among the very few Hyperolius to be found both in forest (although in clearings) and savanna localities. There might be small morphological differences between the bushland and savanna populations and in Cameroun Amiet has noted differences in the voice between such populations. It is thus not unlikely that two very similar, cryptic species are involved.

H. cinnamomeoventris is very similar to the sympatric H. kivuensis, and some specimens may be impossible to identify. H. cinnamomeoventris is generally smaller, with a shorter snout, smaller gular flap and more distinct light dorsolateral stripe in males. In H. kivuensis both sexes have the same pattern, while in H. cinnamomeoventris the females are green.H. cinnamomeoventris is also very similar to some populations of H. lateralis. The best distinguishing character is the entirely different voice. Finally, it resembles the poorly known H. schoutedeni. The males may be inseparable, but the female of schoutedeni has the same colour-pattern as the male.

Hyperolius fimbriolatus is a synonym for H. cinnamomeoventris (Lötters et al. 2001)This account was taken from "Treefrogs of Africa" by Arne Schiøtz with kind permission from Edition Chimaira publishers, Frankfurt am Main.