Contents

Werneria

Werneria
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Bufonidae
Genus:	Werneria Poche [fr], 1903
Species
6 species (see text)
Synonyms[1]
Stenoglossa Andersson, 1903 – preoccupiedbyStenoglossa Chaudoir (Coleoptera) Werneria Poche, 1903 – replacement name Mo Dubois, Ohler, and Pyron, 2021

Werneria, also known as the torrent toads^[1][2]orsmalltongue toads,^[1] is a small genus of "true toads", family Bufonidae.^[1][2][3] They are found in western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon),^[1][2] with the greatest species richness in the Western High PlateauofCameroon.^[4] The species generally have restricted or patchy distributions^[2][4] and are considered threatened.^[4]

The genus is named after Franz Werner, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist who was active in Africa.^[5]

Werneria are medium-sized toads^[2] with a snout-to-vent length between 3 and 5 cm (1.2–2.0 in); females tend to be larger than males.^[4] They do not have hearing organs, vocal sacs (they are silent), nor parotoid glands. Skin is smooth. Toe webbing ranges from rudimentary to full. Tadpoles have a short, muscular tail and a flat body with a huge sucker mouth.^[2]

Werneria are associated with torrential forest streams, which also is their breeding habitat. Tadpoles use their sucker mouth to cling to the rocks. Outside the breeding season, adult toads can be found in leaf litter far away from streams. They are known from altitudes between 560–2,600 m (1,840–8,530 ft) ^[2]