Sclerophrys garmani
—
Garman’s Toad
Also known as:
Leopard Toad, Square-marked Toad, Greater Cross-marked Toad
The genus Amietophrynus was split from Bufo by Frost et al in 2006. Later still, Sclerophrys was erected for some of these African toads.
I saw these toads at night only, and took these pictures with a flash.
A small creek meandered across the grass at this camp, periodically
widening into small ponds with papyrus and other reedy plants. A long
dry spell had been broken with some rain a day or two back, and
two frog species were calling up a storm: this toad and a
treefrog.
The toad's call was a low-pitched, monotone, throaty croak.
I asked the camp staff naturalist about the frogs in the ponds and he said there were two kinds, little "acacia frogs" and big "savannah frogs". I presumed he meant the toads were the big ones, as I did not see or hear any third species. I could find neither "Acacia Frog" nor "Savannah Frog" (nor "Savannah Toad") on the web or in my herps common/scientific names book. These toads were basic toad size, probably between 3 and 4 inches long.
Due in part to a lack of comprehensive references, and in part to the poor quality of my photos, I didn't have a good guess for the identify of these toads until recently. Helpful people on iNaturalist pointed out that they seem to be Sclerophrys garmani.
Online references:
- Amietophrynus garmani account on iNaturalist
- Ohler A, Dubois A. (2016) The identity of the South African toad Sclerophrys capensis Tschudi, 1838 (Amphibia, Anura) PeerJ 4:e1553
Printed references:
- Channing, A., Howell, K.M. 2006. Amphibians of East Africa
- Spawls, S. 2017. A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maasai Mara