''Nectophrynoides minutus'' 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 ...

. 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 ...

to Tanzania and is known from the Uluguru and

Rubeho Mountains The Rubeho Mountains are a mountain range in central Tanzania. The mountains in Dodoma and Morogoro regions, southeast of Tanzania's capital Dodoma. The Rubeho Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse communi ...

. Common names small viviparous toad, minute tree toad, and dwarf forest toad have been proposed for it.

Description

Males grow to and females to in

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

. The tympanum is visible. No

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 are present. The finger and toe tips lack discs. The fingers have no webbing while the toes have basal webbing. Colouration is brown dorsally. The lower surfaces are white with dark speckles. Reproduction involves

ovoviviparity Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

: there are no free-living larvae, instead, the female gives birth to fully-developed toadlets.

Habitat and conservation

''Nectophrynoides minutus'' occurs in montane rainforest at elevations above

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. It only occurs in undisturbed forest and 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 ...

and deterioration caused by agricultural encroachment, wood extraction, and expanding human settlements. However, it is present in the Uluguru Nature Reserve, which is relatively well protected.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2236879 minutus Frogs of Africa Amphibians of Tanzania Endemic fauna of Tanzania Amphibians described in 1972 Taxa named by Jean-Luc Perret Taxonomy articles created by Polbot