''Sclerophrys vittata'', also known as Degen's toad, banded toad, or Lake Victoria toad, is a species of

toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...

in the family Bufonidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

, where it is only known from

Lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...

south to

Entebbe Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. The c ...

and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This species may possibly be found in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and its range may even extend into

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, but the records from northern Egypt are generally regarded as belonging to '' S. kassasii''.

Description

''Sclerophrys vittata'' is a small toad with long, narrow

parotoid gland The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of toads and some frogs and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known collective ...

s, distinctive dark-coloured longitudinal stripes and rows of large tubercles on its upper surface, and a bold patterning of red and dark blotches on its underside. In Egypt the snout vent length of the toads varied between 26 and 36 millimeters. No difference was found between males and females concerning body length.Mamdouh Saad Ahmed Akef, Hans Schneider: ''Reproductive behavior and mating call pattern in Degen's toad, Bufo vittatus, in Egypt (Bufonidae, Amphibia).'' In: African Journal of Zoology, Volume 107, 1993, S. 97−104.

Distribution

''Sclerophrys vittata'' is found in Uganda and was first described by

George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...

in 1906. Its range extends from

southwards to

and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It has also been reported from Katera in the southern foothills of

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is locat ...

, but this record is disputed. Some toads found between 1909 and 1912 near

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

in Egypt were originally identified as this species but may have been misidentified. From 1989 to 1991, Akef and Schneider investigated the reproductive behavior and analyzed the calls of ''Bufo vittatus'' in Egypt in the Al−Fayoum region. In 1993 a new species of toad was described by Sherif Baha el Din from the

Nile Delta The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Po ...

as '' Bufo kassasii'', and it is thought the original identification of ''Sclerophrys vittata'' from Egypt referred to this new species, also known as the Nile Delta toad. However, it is possible that this species has a wider range including parts of the Nile Valley and into Egypt.

Calls and calling activity

Calls

The mating calls have a simple structure. They consist of three to four very short pules separated by intervals. Calls have been recorded at water temperatures of 17 to 27 degrees Celsius. At 24 degrees water temperature the mean call duration measures 120 milliseconds, the intercall interval 300 milliseconds, the calls exhibit two frequency components at about 1100 and 2800 Hertz. There is a correlation between the water temperature and some call parameters. As the water temperature increases the duration of the calls decreases when the calls consisting of three or four pulses are considered separately. The intervals between the calls and between the pulses also decrease, whereas the pulse rate increases. The number of pulses per call and the duration of the pulses do not change.

Annual and daily calling activity

Calling of the males begins in the first half of February and lasts until October. It reaches a climax in spring and early summer. During this time calling begins shortly after sunset and lasts until 1 to 2 a.m. Later in summer calling ends earlier, around 10 to 11 p.m. and ends in September and October even earlier.

Calling behaviour

Calling males gather in small shallow ponds, irrigation canals and ditches, rice and corn fields. They form choruses consisting of about 20 males. The calling males maintain a minimum distance of about 0.7 meters. At decreasing calling activity during the year, males continue to form choruses, but the number of choruses decreases. Males call while sitting in the water, the body is erected, the hind limbs and the posterior part of the body are immersed in the water. The males have a single subgular vocal sac. When fully inflated, it is very large in relation to the body length. Pair formation is high in spring and early summer, later on it decreases, but pairs are observed until October.

Status

Very little is known about this species and its natural history. It inhabits marshy areas and presumably its larvae are aquatic. Its population status, ecology and the threats it faces are unknown and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

lists its conservation status as "

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2212800 vittata Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Uganda Endemic fauna of Uganda Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Amphibians described in 1906 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot