Werneria

<i>Werneria</i>

Werneria

Genus of amphibians

For the genus of plant, see Werneria (plant).

Werneria, also known as the torrent toads[1][2] or smalltongue toads,[1] is a small genus of "true toads", family Bufonidae.[1][2][3] They are found in western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon),[1][2] with the greatest species richness in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon.[4] The species generally have restricted or patchy distributions[2][4] and are considered threatened.[4]

Quick Facts Werneria, Scientific classification ...

Etymology

The genus is named after Franz Werner, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist who was active in Africa.[5]

Description

Werneria are medium-sized toads[2] with a snout-to-vent length between 3 and 5 cm (1.2–2.0 in); females tend to be larger than males.[4] They do not have hearing organs, vocal sacs (they are silent), nor parotoid glands. Skin is smooth. Toe webbing ranges from rudimentary to full. Tadpoles have a short, muscular tail and a flat body with a huge sucker mouth.[2]

Species

More information Common name ...

Habitat

Werneria are associated with torrential forest streams, which also is their breeding habitat. Tadpoles use their sucker mouth to cling to the rocks. Outside the breeding season, adult toads can be found in leaf litter far away from streams. They are known from altitudes between 560–2,600 m (1,840–8,530 ft) [2]

References

  1. [1]
    Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Werneria Poche, 1903". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  2. [2]
    Channing, Allan & Rödel, Mark-Oliver (2019). Field Guide to the Frogs & other Amphibians of Africa. Cape Town: Struik Nature. pp. 99–101. ISBN 978-1-77584-512-6.
  3. [3]
    "Bufonidae". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  4. [4]
    Rödel, Mark-Oliver; Schmitz, Andreas; Pauwels, Olivier S.G. & Böhme, Wolfgang (2004). "Revision of the genus Werneria Poche, 1903, including the descriptions of two new species from Cameroon and Gabon (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae)". Zootaxa. 720 (1): 1–28. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.720.1.1.
  5. [5]
    Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-907807-42-8.
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