Rhinella fernandezae (Gallardo 1957)

Diagnosis Adult males ranging from 38.2 to 67.3 mm snout-vent length, and adult females ranging from 40 to 76.4 mm snout-vent length; snout straight in lateral view, short, posterior margin of nostril do not surpass anterior margin of mandible in lateral view; head high; supraorbital crest continuous, high and bulky; postorbital crest long; parietal crest present; infraorbital crest long; interorbital area, loreal region and tip of snout smooth or with just a few granules; tympanum with inconspicuous borders, widely separated from parotoid gland.

Associated with the Litoral-Mesopotamic area (along the rivers Paraná-Paraguay and Uruguay). This area constitutes part of the Oriental Chaco and encloses the phytogeographic provinces of Espinal Chaqueño and Pampeana, Argentina. The species also occurs in Uruguay (frontier of Argentina and at the Rio de la Plata basin), and in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Adult morphology Adult males ranging from 38.2 to 67.3 mm snout-vent length, and adult females ranging from 40 to 76.4 mm snout-vent length. Head rounded or subtriangular, high, wider than long. Snout squared or rounded in dorsal view, straight in lateral view, slightly long in dorsal and lateral views, maxilla slightly projecting ahead of the mandible anteriorly, posterior margin of nostril do not surpass anterior margin of mandible in lateral view. Eye lateral, encapsulated, its diameter smaller than interorbital distance and approximately equals to eye-nostril distance. Nostril subelliptic, dorsolateral with lateral openings, closer to tip of snout than to eye, its longitudinal axis almost perpendicularly disposed in relation to longitudinal axis of the head. Canthus rostralis angulated, highlighted by keratinized canthal crest; loreal region scantly visible in dorsal view, superior half straight or slightly concave, inferior half straight. Upper lip with sharp border, highlighted by keratinized maxillary crest, a slightly lateral expansion of the upper lip may occur. Tympanum oval, higher than wide, with inconspicuous borders, not close to postorbital crest. Parotoid gland dorsolateral, conspicuous, inferior borders not well delimited, elongated or subtriangular, vertex pointing down, wider than high. Cephalic crests continuous, keratinized and with smooth borders. Supraorbital crest high and bulky, continuous, occasionally serrate and with gaps and wrinkles, posterior portion occasionally wrinkled, supraorbital crest rounded, not in a straight line with canthal and supratympanic crests, interorbital portion almost straight, diverging posteriorly. Preorbital crest continuous, frequently gapped. Postorbital crest long, surpassing lower margin of the eye, reaching or not infraorbital crest, usually straight without ramifications, occasionally gapped. Infraorbital crest continuous, frequently gapped, long, posteriorly extending beyond postorbital and maxillary crests, posterior portion bulky with a slightly lateral expansion visible in dorsal view, posterior portion occasionally united to maxillary crest. Supratympanic crest long and straight, continuous, interrupted or not, bulky and ornamented with wrinkles and gaps, posterior portion occasionally dilated. Parietal crest present, high, usually continuous or formed by large rounded and aligned tubercles, posterior portion usually bulky. Canthal crest continuous, almost straight, diverging posteriorly, occasionally reaching preorbital crest, extending or not beyond anterior margin of nostril. Subnasal crest short, posterior portion at the level of posterior margin of nostril, usually bulky, continuous. Maxillary crest highly developed and continuous, its keratinization may reach the ventral surface of maxilla, posterior portion occasionally bulky, visible in dorsal view; posterior portion of maxilla (between infraorbital and maxillary crests) concave. Palms and metatarsal tubercles, and tip of fingers and toes cornified. External palmar tubercle salient, rounded or oval, twice or three times larger than the inner one, salient, oval. Nuptial asperities on dorsum of fingers I and II and in part of the inner palmar tubercle in males. Relative size of fingers: I < II < or = IV < III; fingers without fringes, lateral surface serrate, formed by conical or rounded tubercles, which may have keratinized apices; interdigital membrane reduced, present between the fingers II and III, conspicuous in larger specimens; distal subarticular tubercle of third finger doubled; supranumerary tubercles conical or rounded, of variable sizes, smaller than the subarticulars. Hindlimbs short, tibio-tarsal articulation reaches axilla and only fourth toe surpasses the snout when the leg is stretched and adjoined to body. Inner metatarsal tubercle oval or elongated, high, subconical in lateral view, approximately the same size of external one, rounded or oval, high, subconical in lateral view. Relative size of toes: I < II < V < III < IV; toes without fringes, lateral surface extensively serrate, formed by conical tubercles, with keratinized apices and secondary points of keratin; interdigital membrane of toes with extensively serrate borders; toes webbed; distal subarticular tubercle of fourth toe doubled, one element much larger than its symmetrical; supranumerary tubercles conical, of variable sizes, smaller than the subarticulars; tarsal fold absent. Dorsum with keratinized tubercles of variable sizes, conical or rounded; larger rounded tubercles, highly keratinized, arrayed longitudinally on the anterior half of body. Belly with small conical granules, adjoined. Upper eyelid with a few keratinized granules of variable size, rounded or spiculated, external margin extensively keratinized. Parotoids with individualized and fleshy tubercles, flattened on dorsal and conical on lateral surfaces of gland. Loreal region, tip of snout, and area below subnasal crest smooth, with very few keratinized granules, rounded or elongated, not fleshy. Ventral surface of maxilla smooth or with minuscule keratinized spicules, aligned on the internal margin; interorbital area completely smooth or with very few rounded and keratinized granules, usually highly fleshy; area between tympanum and postorbital crest smooth or with a couple of small granules; area between tympanum and parotoid gland completely smooth or with very few small granules, conical with keratinized apices. Coloration in preserved specimens: dorsum brownish light or grayish with dark spots, or dark-brownish without conspicuous spots; a lateral light stripe between parotoid and inguinal region, with irregular margins, is delimited by the dorsal pattern of spots; longitudinal dorsal stripe present or absent; labial light stripe present, variable in width. Belly cream, yellowish or dark gray, with or without small dark spots. Variation In some specimens, the nuptial asperities are reduced on lateral surface of finger III. A few specimens showed parotoid gland with reduced granulation, becoming smoother and homogeneous in aspect. Some specimens may have numerous tiny spicules of keratin around the apex of the conical tubercles covering dorsum, on the lateral face of parotoid glands and on the limbs. In a few specimens from Rio Grande do Sul and from Uruguay, the infraorbital crest is formed by elongated pieces of keratinization, occasionally scaled, arrayed horizontally or vertically; the long infraorbital crest may occasionally be present in only one side of the head.

LC. Least Concern.

Rhinella fernandezae is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae that is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, intermittent freshwater marshes, coastal freshwater lagoons, arable land, pastureland, plantations, and seasonally flooded agricultural land.