A NEW SPECIES OF TOAD FROM THE RIFT VALLEY OF ETHIOPIA, WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE OTHER SPECIES OF BUFO (AMPHIBIA ANURA BUFONIDAE) RECORDED FROM THIS COUNTRY

Abstract

SUMMARY A new species, Bufo langanoensis, is described from Lake Langano in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia. The species is acoustically and morphologically rather similar to B. blanfordi Boulenger, 1882 and to an undescribed form (sp. A), and the three are believed to form a B. blanfordi species group within the B. regularis complex. B. langanoensis is known to be strictly sympatric only with B. regularis Reuss, 1834, although its ecological requirements seem to be similar to those of three other species which occur in Ethiopia (B. garmani Meek, 1897, B. xeros Tandy et al., 1976 and B. maculatus Hallowell, 1854). However, the new species differs acoustically and morphologically both from these species and from 20 other members of the genus Bufo with which it has been compared, including all those which are known to occur in Ethiopia. The most distinctive morphological features of B. langanoensis are the very full webbing between the toes, extensive development of spinules, rather obscure dorsal colour patter...