Buca Small Tongue Toad

Werneria preussi is a medium sized toad. Its snout is obliquely truncate. Warts may be present at the angle of the mouth. The hind legs have moderate webbing that is more developed in males than in females. Males have nuptial pads when breeding (Rödel et al. 2004). Coloration:Males and young females have brick red, yellowish or grey broad dorsolateral bands that run from the eyelid to the groin area. The flanks are brown or black but may have clear spots on lower flanks in the females. The venter is dark brown. Males are spotted with white and yellow. Males may have large clear spots on the posterior venter. The thighs have blackish transversal bars (Rödel et al. 2004). Tadpole Morphology: Tadpoles have flattened bodies and have moderately to well-developed oral discs that allow them to attach themselves to rocks in swift streams (Graybeal and Cannatella 1995).This species was once placed in the genus, Bufo (Rödel et al. 2004).

W. preussi is native to Cameroon and possibly Togo, but its presence there is uncertain. It has been found on the lower slopes of Mount Cameroon from 700-1,200 ft above sea level and on Mount Kupe approximately 900 ft above sea level. It lives in rocky mountain streams and around waterfalls in submontane forests and in degraded secondary habitats. It breeds in streams and only lives in and around water (Stuart et. al. 2008).

This species breeds in mountain streams and can always be found in or near the water. It lays unpigmented eggs in strings, which are attached to rocks (Wells 2007). During the daytime, the toads will hide in spaces below stones. During the night, they climb on rocks (Rödel et al. 2004). This species mostly feeds on beetles (Rödel et al. 2004).

Because of increasing agriculture development and human settlement, this species is at risk due to the loss of its natural habitat. It currently does not occur in any protected areas. An ecotourism project has been established at Mount Kupe in order to reduce hunting and agricultural expansion. The area has been proposed as a Strict Nature Reserve (Stuart et al. 2008).

Werneria preussi is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in southwestern Cameroon and—highly disjunctly and based on a more than 100 years old record—in Togo. Some sources also mention Equatorial Guinea.

Its natural habitats are rocky streams and waterfalls in submontane forests, but it also occurs in degraded secondary habitats. It lives exclusively in and around water and breeds in streams. It is locally common but probably threatened by loss of its forest caused by agricultural encroachment and human settlement.