Sclerophrys pentoni (Anderson, 1893)

Segniagbeto, Gabriel Hoinsoudé, Ohler, Annemarie, Rödel, Mark-Oliver, Luiselli, Luca & Dubois, Alain, 2024, Amphibians of Togo: taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, Zoosystema 46 (25), pp. 631-670 : 639

Sclerophrys pentoni (Anderson, 1893)

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Togo • 1 subadult ♂; Nanergou; MRAC 73.9.B.403.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL. — Cameroon • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Koza; MRAC 75.3.B.196, MRAC 75.3.B.197.

Mauritania • 7 ♂, 6 ♀; no locality; MNHN-RA-1979.470-483 .

DESCRIPTION. — Large to medium sized toad (SVL 52.2-60 mm ♂, 57.3-64.4 mm ♀). Very short hind legs (TL 34-36% SVL). Snout rounded. Head wider than long (HW 34-47% SVL; HL 25-41% SVL).Tympanum distinct (TYD 4-5.6 mm). Webbing rudimentary, leaving four phalanges free; webbing formula: I 1 – 2 II 1 ½ – 2 ½ III 2 – 4 IV 4 – 1 V. Skin with large, rounded warts on the dorsal parts (back, flanks, thighs, legs), belly granular. Parotoid gland prominent, smooth, widely separated from eyelids.

COLOURATION. — The colouration is gray or brownish on the back, the parotoid glands appearing darker. The dorsal face of arms, thighs, legs and feet is gray. The chest and belly are white.

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. — The male has a subgular vocal sac of black and white colouration. The forelegs of males are more robust than those of females.

HABITATS AND DISTRIBUTION. — Sclerophrys pentoni is mainly a species of Sudanian savannahs throughout West Africa ( Rödel 2000), but it occurs also in East Africa ( Egypt, Eritrea) and even in the Middle East ( Yemen). In Togo, the distribution of this species is limited to the far north in ecological zone I. Vouchers of this species deposited by Bourgat et al. (1983) at the Paris Museum under the numbers MNHN-RA-1980.1145-1148 could not be traced.