Sclerophrys maculata (Hallowell, 1854)

Ayoro, Halamoussa Joëlle, Segniagbeto, Gabriel Hoinsoudé, Hema, Emmanuel Midibahaye, Penner, Johannes, Oueda, Adama, Dubois, Alain, Rödel, Mark-Oliver, Kabré, Gustave Boureima & Ohler, Annemarie, 2020, List of amphibian species (Vertebrata, Tetrapoda) of Burkina Faso, Zoosystema 42 (28), pp. 547-582 : 554-555

Sclerophrys maculata (Hallowell, 1854)

( Fig. 3E )

COLLECTION MATERIAL. — Burkina Faso • 5♂ ( SVL 42.0- 49.6 mm), 1 ♀ ( SVL 53.2 mm); Burkina Faso; 1987; M. Lamotte leg.; MNHNRA-1944.143, 1951.255, 1989.3863, 1989.3864, 1989.3865, 1989.3866 .

FIELD MATERIAL. — Burkina Faso • 1 ♀ ( SVL 70.7 mm); Arly National Park , the court of the central forest post office; 11.57044°N, 1.45215°E; 190 m a.s.l.; 11. VI.2018; H. J. Ayoro leg.; on a path; hand capture • 1 ♂ ( SVL 55.8 mm), 1 ♀ ( SVL 65.9 mm); Arly National Park , Bongola swampy valley; 11.53255°N, 1.48242°E; 170 m a.s.l.; 13. VI.2018; same collector as for preceding; on the edge of pond; hand capture • 1 ♂ ( SVL 54.2 mm), 4♀ (62.4-66.3 mm); Arly National Park , on the bank of Arly River (1.5 km west of the central forest post office); 11.57043°N, 1.45222°E; 160 m a.s.l.; 14. VI.2018; same collector as for preceding, near a small water body; hand capture • 1 ♂ ( SVL 56.0 mm), 1 ♀ ( SVL 65.2 mm); Arly National Park , a floodplain (500 m north of Bouliabou pond); 11.57854°N, 1.46001°E; 260 m a.s.l.; 16. VI.2018; same collector as for preceding; near a small water body; hand capture • 1 ♂ ( SVL 54.3 mm); Arly National Park , central forest post office; 11.57843°N, 1.46145°E; 170 m a.s.l.; 17. VI.2018; same collector as for preceding; under a dead wood; hand capture • 1♂ ( SVL 75.8 mm); W National Park, Kabougou River (500 m north-west of the Kabougou forest post office); 11.97063°N, 2.01620°E; 280 m a.s.l.; 4.II.2017; same collector as for preceding; in the water well; hand capture • 6 ♂ ( SVL 52.6-79.4 mm), 1 ♀ ( SVL 76.6 mm); same locality; 18. VI.2018; same collector as for preceding; in a paddy field; hand capture • 1 ♂ ( SVL 75.5 mm); W National Park, Nangouli swampy valley; 21. VI.2018; same collector as for preceding; under shrubs; hand capture • 3 ♂ ( SVL 56.4-64.2 mm), 3 ♀ ( SVL 56.9- 73.8 mm); Comoé-Léraba Forest , a flooded zone of the Comoé River (300 m west of Comoé bridge); 9.93243°N, – 4.60651°W; 220 m a.s.l.; 5.VIII.2018; H. J. Ayoro & A. Ohler leg.; river bank; hand capture • 4♂ ( SVL 61.6-82.9 mm), 1♀ ( SVL 72 mm); Folonzo village ; 9.95773°N, – 4.67450°W; 240 m a.s.l.; 6.VIII.2018; same collectors as for preceding; around a drinking water well; hand capture • 1 subadult ( SVL 38.2 mm); Kou Forest ; 8.VIII.2018; same collectors as for preceding; on a track, hand capture • 1 subadult ( SVL 38.0 mm); Deux Balés National Park , downstream from the Soumbou dam; 11.69835°N, – 2.79711°W; 260 m a.s.l.; 8.XI.2017; H. J. Ayoro leg.; on a stone; hand capture • 2♂ ( SVL 56.7-60.5 mm), 3 ♀ ( SVL 66.6-72.6 mm); Deux Balés National Park , Tiona pond; 11.63244°N, – 2.85431°W; 270 m a.s.l.; 9.XI.2017; same collector as for preceding; on the edge of the pond; hand capture • 2 ♂ (56.7-64.8 mm); Pabré , on the bank of Pabré dam; 10.VII.2017; H. J. Ayoro & A. Ohler leg.; near the irrigated ditch; hand capture • 2♂ ( SVL 63.1-72.2 mm); Loumbila , downstream from the Loumbila dam; 14.VII.2017; 12.49843°N, – 1.40311°W; 280 m a.s.l.; same collectors as for preceding; near a plantain field; hand capture • 2 ♂ ( SVL 61.5-70.2 mm); same locality; 15.VII.2017; same collectors as for preceding; near an irrigation well in a vegetable garden; hand capture • 3♂ ( SVL 61.1 -65.0 mm), 1 ♀ ( SVL 71.6 mm); Koubri , on the bank of “Ancien barrage”; 12.22882°N, – 1.34524°W; 290 m a.s.l.; 16.VII.2017; same collectors as for preceding; around water body; hand capture • 1 ♂ ( SVL 63.6 mm), 1 ♀ ( SVL 67.1 mm); Koubri , downstream from Arzoumbaongo dam; 12.22064°N, – 1.29590°W; 270 m a.s.l.; 18.VII.2017; same collectors as for preceding; near water body; hand capture • 1 ♀ ( SVL 51.0 mm); Koti ; 11.38785°N, – 3.06401°W; 310 m a.s.l.; 17.VIII.2018; H. J. Ayoro leg.; in a maize field; hand capture • 1♂ ( SVL 59.5 mm); Dédougou ; 12.49201°N, – 3.43573°W; 300 m a.s.l.; 6.X.2017; same collector as for preceding; under a rock; hand capture • 3♂ ( SVL 73.3-78.5 mm); Yakouta dam; 14.07452°N, – 0.14271°W; 280 m a.s.l.; 26.VIII.2018; same collector as for preceding; near small water body downstream from the dam; hand capture • 2♂; Djibasso , swampy valley; 13.12211°N, – 4.16030°W; 340 m a.sl.; 16.VIII.2018; same collector as for preceding; near a pond; acoustic report .

LITERATURE REPORTS. — Burkina Faso • Gourma province , Fada N’gourma; 12.06051°N, 0.34913°E; 300 m a.s.l. (Mohneke 2011; Mohneke et al. 2011) • Ganzourgou province , Zorgho; 12.2483°N, – 0.6278°W; 300 m a.s.l.; I-III.2008 (Mohneke 2011; Mohneke et al. 2011) .

DESCRIPTION. — 62 specimens examined. Studied males showing SVL larger than male specimens of Lamotte & Xavier (1981) (38- 54 mm males, 53-70 mm females). Specimens with warty, flat and poorly delimited parotoid glands (but well delimited and usually elevated glands in S. regularis ) ( Fig. 3E ). Supernumerary tubercles on feet more numerous in S. maculata than in S. regularis (see figures 27 and 33 in Rödel (2000) and figure 4 in Gongomin et al. (2019).

HABITAT. — This toad occurs in many localities across Burkina Faso. We found it around water bodies, in open areas, under grasses or shrubs, in pristine regions as well as in human settlements. It occurs in dry and wet savannahs across western Africa and even penetrates disturbed rainforest habitats ( Rödel 2000; Poynton et al. 2016). Populations previously attributed to S. maculata from more eastern and southern origins belong to Sclerophrys pusilla (Mertens, 1937) ( Poynton et al. 2016) . However, the eastern and southern limits of the distribution range of Sclerophry maculata need to be confirmed ( Channing & Rödel 2019).

REMARK. — Sclerophrys maculata was most often cited under the old generic name Bufo , later allocated to the genus Amietophrynus ( Frost et al. 2006) . This toad was also mistakenly cited from Burkina Faso as Bufo regularis (Reuss, 1833) (e.g. Mohneke 2011). Due to nomenclatural priority, the valid name of this species is actually Sclerophrys maculata ( Ohler & Dubois 2016) .

Figures

FIG. 3. — Representatives of anuran species from Burkina Faso in life. A-B, Arthroleptis poecilonotus Peters,1863; C, Leptopelis bufonides Schiøtz,1967; D, Leptopelis viridi (Günther, 1869); E, Sclerophrys maculata (Hallowell, 1854); F, Sclerophrys pentoni (Anderson, 1893). Photos: Halamoussa Joëlle Ayoro.