Sclerophrys taiensis

Sclerophrys taiensis is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is known from the Taï National Park (its type locality) in southwestern Ivory Coast and from the Gola Forest in southeastern Sierra Leone;[1][2][5] it is likely that its range extends into the adjacent Liberia.[1][2] Common name Tai toad (also rendered as Taï toad) has been proposed for it.[1][2][5]

Sclerophrys taiensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
Genus: Sclerophrys
Species:
S. taiensis
Binomial name
Sclerophrys taiensis
(Rödel and Ernst, 2000)
Synonyms[2]
  • Bufo taiensis Rödel and Ernst, 2000[3]
  • Bufo amieti Tandy and Perret, 2000[4]
  • Amietophrynus taiensis (Rödel and Ernst, 2000)

Description

Males grow to 33 mm (1.3 in) and females to 38 mm (1.5 in) in snout–vent length. The body is compact and the snout is short. The eyes are relatively large. The parotoid glands are very large. Dorsal skin very warty with spiny tips, while ventrally skin is granular with many small spines. The toes have rudimentary webbing. Dorsal coloration is grey to brown with irregular black spots and streaks. The limbs have black crossbars. The venter is black with grey to blue-white spots.[5]

Habitat and conservation

Sclerophrys taiensis inhabits primary lowland rainforest close to forest streams.[1][5] Breeding presumably takes place in streams (as in Sclerophrys tuberosa).

It is a rare species that even in well-studied areas (i.e., Taï National Park) is known from only a few specimens. It is threatened by forest loss caused by agriculture (cacao plantations, rubber, and oil palms), timber extraction, and human settlement (encroachment). The known populations are within national parks, but these require improved management and protection.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. (2020) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Sclerophrys taiensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T54774A177149208. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T54774A177149208.en. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2021). "Sclerophrys taiensis (Rödel and Ernst, 2000)". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  3. Rödel, M.-O. & Ernst, R. (2000). "Bufo taiensis n. sp., eine neue Kröte aus dem Taï-Nationalpark, Elfenbeinkuste". Herpetofauna (in German). 22 (125): 9–16.
  4. Tandy, Mills & Perret, Jean-Luc (2000). "The Bufo tuberosus species group with the description of a new species from the rainforest of Côte-d'Ivoire". Revue suisse de Zoologie. 107: 389–418. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.80136.
  5. Channing, Allan & Rödel, Mark-Oliver (2019). Field Guide to the Frogs & other Amphibians of Africa. Cape Town: Struik Nature. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-77584-512-6.
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