''Nectophrynoides minutus'' is a species of

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) 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. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

in the family

Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * C ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to Tanzania and is known from the Uluguru and Rubeho Mountains. 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 mos ...

. 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 some frogs (especially toads), and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known ...

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 "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop inside eggs that r ...

: 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 a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. It only occurs in undisturbed forest and is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

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