Hyperolius pusillus (Cope, 1862)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Hyperolius pusillus (common names: waterlily reed frog and various variants thereof, dwarf reed frog) is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found throughout diverse environments in eastern and southern Africa.
It is a very common frog. Its natural habitats are open savanna, bush land and grassland. Breeding takes place in shallow pans, vleis, open swamps, and dams with floating vegetation such as water lilies.
Hyperolius pusillus can resemble members of the larger Hyperolius argus species, which is also native to eastern and southern Africa.
Wikipedia contributors, Hyperolius pusillus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T16:33:35.323218+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hyperolius pusillus (Cope, 1862)
- Name authority
- (Cope, 1862)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Hyperoliidae
- Genus
- Hyperolius
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyHyperoliidae Laurent, 1943
- subfamilyHyperoliinae Laurent, 1943
- genusHyperolius Rapp, 1842
- speciesHyperolius pusillus (Cope, 1862)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hyperolius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hyperolius acuticephalus Ahl, 1931 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius ademetzi Ahl, 1931 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius albofrenatus Ahl, 1931 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius argus Peters, 1854 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius atrigularis Laurent, 1941 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius balfouri (Werner, 1908) | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius bocagei Steindachner, 1867 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius bopeleti Amiet, 1980 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius chelaensis Conradie, Branch, Measey & Tolley, 2012 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius chlorosteus (Boulenger, 1915) | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius cystocandicans Richards & Schiøtz, 1977 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hyperolius dartevellei Laurent, 1943 | HyperoliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hyperolius milnei Loveridge, 1935 Loveridge, 1935 | synonym |
| Rappia pusilla (Cope, 1862) (Cope, 1862) | synonym |
| Hyperolius heuglini Steindachner, 1864 Steindachner, 1864 | synonym |
| Hyperolius translucens Power, 1935 Power, 1935 | synonym |
| Crumenifera pusilla Cope, 1862 Cope, 1862 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=663160 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3NQY2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.