Werneria
# Werneria

Werneria, also known as the torrent toads or smalltongue toads, is a small genus of "true toads", family Bufonidae. They are found in western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon), with the greatest species richness in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon. The species generally have restricted or patchy distributions and are considered threatened.

## Etymology

The genus is named after Franz Werner, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist who was active in Africa.

## Description

Werneria are medium-sized toads with a snout-to-vent length between 3 and 5 cm (1.2–2.0 in); females tend to be larger than males. They do not have hearing organs, vocal sacs (they are silent), nor parotoid glands. Skin is smooth. Toe webbing ranges from rudimentary to full. Tadpoles have a short, muscular tail and a flat body with a huge sucker mouth.

## Species

| Binomial name and author | Common name |
| - | - |
| Werneria bambutensis (Amiet, 1972) | Bamboutos smalltongue toad, Bambuto torrent toad |
| Werneria iboundji Rödel, Schmitz, Pauwels & Böhme, 2004 | Iboundji torrent toad |
| Werneria mertensiana Amiet, 1976 | Mertens' smalltongue toad, Mertens' torrent toad |
| Werneria preussi (Matschie, 1893) | Buea smalltongue toad, Preuss' torrent toad |
| Werneria submontana Rödel, Schmitz, Pauwels & Böhme, 2004 | hill torrent toad |
| Werneria tandyi (Amiet, 1972) | Tandy's smalltongue toad, Tandy's torrent toad |

## Habitat

Werneria are associated with torrential forest streams, which also is their breeding habitat. Tadpoles use their sucker mouth to cling to the rocks. Outside the breeding season, adult toads can be found in leaf litter far away from streams. They are known from altitudes between 560–2,600 m (1,840–8,530 ft)

