The Chirinda toad, Chrinda forest toad, Mashonaland toad or Boulenger's earless toad (''Mertensophryne anotis'') 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 {{Cat main, Toad This category contains both species commonly called toads, and the true toads from the family Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category contains both species commonly called toads, and the true toads from the family Bufonidae {{Cat m ...

with a restricted distribution in eastern

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

and western

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Description

The Chrinda toad is small, about 45mm in snout to vent length. The head length is equal to its width, with a pointed snout projecting beyond its mouth and the skin is covered in smooth warts. It lacks a tympanum and the

paratoid 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 are large and reach the base of the arm on the sides. It has short fingers and short toes which are one-third webbed, the webs are covered with granules. The back and sides of the head are either blackish or light colored with blackish cross-bars and the underside is yellow and spotted with black.

Distribution

The Chrinda toad occurs in the

Chirinda Forest The Chirinda Forest Botanical Reserve is situated on the slopes of Mount Selinda, south of Chipinge, in the Chipinge Highlands of Manicaland, Zimbabwe, and is administered by the Forestry Commission. The reserve is situated at between in altit ...

in eastern

and in the Dombé Forest in adjacent

. There is also a recent record from

Quirimbas National Park The Quirimbas National Park (QNP) is a protected area in the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique, encompassing the southern part of the Quirimbas Islands, as well as a significant mainland area. The mainland region of Taratibua contain various inse ...

in northeastern Mozambique that may either suggest that the species is more widespread than previously assumed, or represent a disjunct population, possible of a different species.

Habitat

The natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of the Chrinda toad are lowland and montane evergreen forests where it lives in leaf-litter or hides in or under rotten logs.

Habits

The adult Chirinda toads tend to hide within the leaf litter on the forest floor. The eggs are laid in small pools of water between the buttress roots of ''

Chrysophyllum gorungosanum ''Gambeya gorungosana'' is species of evergreen tree native to eastern and central Africa. Range and habitat ''Gambeya gorungosana'' ranges across eastern and central Africa, from Mozambique and Zimbabwe through Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Burundi ...

'' trees, or in the water filled grooves in the bark of fallen trees.

Conservation

It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

caused by agricultural encroachment, wood extraction, and expanding human settlements. It occurs in one protected areas; the Ngungunyana State Forest in Zimbabwe, which is within the Chirinda Forest, and possibly also in the Quirimbas National Park in Mozambique. The restricted habitat of this species is still being degraded despite any apparent protection and the species is assessed as endangered.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1941814 anotis Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Mozambique Amphibians of Zimbabwe Amphibians described in 1907 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fauna of the Eastern Highlands