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''Duttaphrynus valhallae'' 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 scient ...
in the family
Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category contains both species commonly called toads, and the true toads from the family Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, cat ...
. 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 else ...
to Weh Island, located northwest of Sumatra,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. Known only from the
holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...
(more correctly,
syntype In biological nomenclature, a syntype is any one of two or more biological types that is listed in a description of a taxon where no holotype was designated. Precise definitions of this and related terms for types have been established as part of ...
s), its ecology is unknown, but it is assumed to be a lowland forest species. Practically no forest habitat remains on Weh Island, and it is not known whether the species still persists there. Also its taxonomic validity is uncertain.


Etymology

The specific name ''valhallae'' refers to yacht "Valhalla" on which Geoffrey Meade-Waldo was travelling when he encountered the new species.


Description

The
syntype In biological nomenclature, a syntype is any one of two or more biological types that is listed in a description of a taxon where no holotype was designated. Precise definitions of this and related terms for types have been established as part of ...
, two females, measure about in snout–vent length. They are olive-brown above, with may wrinkles and pores of various sizes.
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 collectiv ...
s are large.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28032763 valhallae Amphibians of Indonesia Endemic fauna of Indonesia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Amphibians described in 1909