Sooty Toad
( Shaba Province toad )
- Sclerophrys fuliginata
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- Threat: unconfirmed
- Venom/Toxin: none
- Trend: unconfirmed
General Information
The Sooty Toad (Sclerophrys fuliginata) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. The specific name fuliginata is Latin for “sooty”, in reference to the species’ appearance of a more or less diffusely uniform exterior color and pattern.
Description
Adult females can reach 65 mm in snout–vent length. Males reach sexual maturity at about 40 mm in snout–vent length. The tympanum is discernible, but the tympanic annulus tends to be covered by spinose warts. The parotoid glands are prominent and covered by dark-tipped spines, except in males in full breeding condition. The toes are almost fully webbed. Skin, especially the limbs, are particularly spinose, but less so in breeding males. Coloration is an almost uniform hue, without a pronounced patterning.
Reproduction
Breeding biology is not known but probably involves aquatic tadpoles.
Conservation
This species is known from isolated records over a wide area. Specific threats to it are unknown, but it is likely to be affected by forest loss caused by agriculture, livestock grazing, human settlements, and fire. It is present in the Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and probably in other protected areas.
Distribtion & Habitat
It is found in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, southeastern Tanzania, and northern Zambia.
Sclerophrys fuliginata occurs in montane forests and gallery forests and on forest edges at elevations above 1,880 m.
References
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- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Amphibia
- Order: Anura
- Family: Bufonidae
- Genus: Sclerophrys
- Length: up to 65 mm
