25 



the dorsum. Tympanum large and interorbital space concave. 

 Paratoid glands kidney-shaped and parallel. Tarsal fold 

 present. Distal subarticular tubercle on fourth toe double. 



Size 



Snout-vent lengths to 132 mm in males and 150 mm in 

 females . 



Description 



Subarticular tubercles, double in young, single in adults. 

 Paratoid glands large and elongated, parallel in young and 

 somewhat divergent posteriorly in adults. Dorsal patches brown 

 to olive, orange, and reddish brown. 



Variation 



Clinal variation of the dorsal pattern of patches has been 

 described in Morocco and Tunisia. Towards the south the patches 

 tend to disappear and the dorsum becomes an uniform sandy 

 colour . 



Ecology 



This toad lives in a great variety of habitats, from rocky 

 and stony places with permanent or temporary water, damp 

 meadows, and coastal dunes, to scrub of Chamaerops humilis, 

 Pistacia lentiscus , and Olea europaea . In Morocco, it lives 

 from sea level to 2650 m. During the day, the toads remain 

 beneath rocks or in tunnels. The diet is varied and includes 

 scorpions, although coleopterans dominate. 



Biology 



They call year around, and day and night. They breed in 

 fresh or brackish water. The breeding period varies depending 

 on region. It might not breed in some years in the pre-Sahara. 

 In Algeria, egg laying lasts from the beginning of April to the 

 middle of May. Isolated laying is recorded in summer. In 

 Morocco, there is an early breeding period in January and 

 another more generalized one in April. However in the Atlas and 

 the Rif mountains, amplexus is delayed until June. Breeding 

 occurs between March and April and July and September in 

 Tunisia. Breeding migrations may be as much as 2 km. Egg laying 

 takes place at night. The eggs are laid in four strings; egg 

 diameter is 1.4-1.7 mim, and they number 5000 to 10000 per 

 female. The larval period lasts some 45 days, and tadpoles do 

 not exceed 30 mm total length. At the time of metamorphosis, 

 they measure 10-12 mm SVL. 



Distribution 



Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia (Fig. 20) . Old 

 records in the Adrar mountains (Mauritania), Air (Niger), 

 Hoggar (Algeria), and Tassili N'Ajjer (Algeria) probably result 

 from confusion with Bufo xeros.. 



