Species:
Amietophrynus maculatus
Flat-backed Toad
Some other names for this species:
Lesser Cross-marked Toad, Hallowell's Toad
Notes on this species:
The genus Amietophrynus was split from Bufo by Frost et al in 2006. Most references still use the long-established Bufo. There's still controversy in the ranks of amphibian taxonomists about this split, but since the SSAR names book follows the split for North America, I'm also following it for the rest of the world.
July 17, 2000
Mara River Camp, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya
This was a pretty generic looking toad, perhaps 4 inches long. It was hopping about in the camp near the dining area.
I couldn't find enough information about the toads in this area to identify this guy until I got a copy of Channing and Howell's recent guide to East African Amphibians. Amietophrynus gutturalis is similar, but the shape of the paratoid glands and the size of the tympanum makes me think this is A. maculatus.
