Mertensophryne melanopleura facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mertensophryne melanopleura |
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Bufo melanopleura Schmidt and Inger, 1959 |
Mertensophryne melanopleura is a small toad that lives in parts of Africa. It is also known as the Kankunde toad or the dark-sided toad. This special toad belongs to the Bufonidae family, which includes many types of toads. You can find it in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Zambia.
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What Does It Look Like?
This toad is quite slender. Adult male toads are about 18 to 21 millimeters (0.7 to 0.8 inches) long. Female toads are a bit bigger, measuring 20 to 25 millimeters (0.8 to 1 inch) from their snout to their rear end.
Its snout, which is its nose area, looks cut off or flat. This toad does not have visible ear drums (called a tympanum) or bony ridges on its head. It has a long gland behind its eye, but it's not very noticeable.
Skin and Color
The Mertensophryne melanopleura has short legs. Its fingers and toes have rounded tips. The toes have a small amount of webbing at their base, but the fingers do not.
Its skin is covered with many flat, round bumps, especially on its back and the sides of its head. The underside of the toad is rough. When preserved, these toads are brown or light brown with dark brown stripes. Their sides are blackish-brown. The belly is usually whitish or cream. Sometimes, it has a dark mark that can be a thin line or cover almost half of its belly.
Special Features
Male toads have special pads on their fingers during breeding season. These are called nuptial pads and help them hold onto the female. However, these toads do not have a vocal sac, which is what many other frogs and toads use to make loud calls.
Reproduction and Eggs
The eggs of the Mertensophryne melanopleura are quite large. They measure about 1.8 to 2 millimeters (0.07 to 0.08 inches) across. However, female toads lay only a few eggs at a time. For example, two females were found to have 31 and 35 eggs each. These toads lay their eggs in water.
Where It Lives and How It's Protected
This toad is not seen very often. It seems to prefer living in forests along rivers, known as gallery forests, and in woodlands. Most of the toads found in Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were living at about 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) above sea level.
Scientists believe that the places where this toad lives are not facing major threats right now. The toad is also found in Upemba National Park, which helps protect its home.
