Sclerophrys mauritanica (Schlegel, 1841)

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 : 575

Sclerophrys mauritanica (Schlegel, 1841)

( Fig. 7C )

COLLECTION MATERIAL. — Burkina Faso • 1 ♀ ( SVL 104 mm); Boulgou province , Garango; 11.79979°N, – 0.55053°W; 280 m a.s.l.; 18.VI.1962; M. Lamontellerie leg.; MNHN-RA-1989.4038 .

DESCRIPTION. — 1 specimen studied. Dorsum yellowish with large brown patches, bordered with black ( Fig. 7A ). Tympanum large and interorbital space concave. Parotoid glands kidney-shaped and parallel. Presence of double subarticular tubercles on the fourth toe. Characters corresponding to Salvador’s (1996) description of Sclerophrys mauritanica for northern Africa.

HABITAT. — This toad is known from a wide variety of habitats, including rocky areas, grasslands, Mediterranean zones, oases, agricultural lands and urban areas ( Salvador 1996; Ben Hassine & Nouira 2012). This species is reported from throughout northern Africa in an apparently continuous distribution between the Tunisian and Moroccan borders ( Geniez et al. 2000; Ben Hassine & Escoriza 2017; Escoriza & Ben Hassine 2019). The presence of this species was reported by Lamotte & Xavier (1981) from Sub-Saharan areas like Burkina Faso but these authors did not mention any voucher specimens. The specimen of S. mauritanica in the MNHN is labelled as having been collected at Garango, in central-east of Burkina Faso, in VI.1962 by Michel Lamontellerie (1928-2013). The collector was an army doctor and stayed for over 20 years in this place. 109 specimens donated by Lamontellerie are present in the MNHN collections coming from Burkina Faso, Mali and France, but none from northern Africa. Nevertheless the collection locality of S. mauritanica in Burkina Faso should be regarded with some doubt, as it is more than 1000 km outside its southern range limit. Future research should carefully check toads from Burkina Faso, but also northern Mali and Niger for the potential presence of this species, south of the Sahara.

Figures

FIG. 7. — Photos of collection vouchers: three anuran species from Burkina Faso preserved in alcohol, dorsal view (left) and ventral view (right). A, Sclerophrys mauritanica (Schlegel, 1841); MNHN-RA-1989.4038; B, Hyperolius lamottei Laurent, 1958; MNHN-RA-1997.9889; C, Ptychadena mascareniensis (Guibé & Lamotte, 1953); MNHN-RA-1996.3916. Photos: A, C, Halamoussa Joëlle Ayoro; B, Annemarie Ohler.