Nectophrynoides asperginis
| Kihansi spray toad | |
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| Kihansi spray toad at the Toledo Zoo | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Bufonidae |
| Genus: | Nectophrynoides |
| Species: | N. asperginis |
| Binomial name | |
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Nectophrynoides asperginis Poynton, Howell, Clarke & Lovett, 1999 |
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The Kihansi spray toad, Nectophrynoides asperginis, is a small toad endemic to Tanzania. The species is live-bearing and insectivorous. The Kihansi spray toad is currently categorized as "Extinct in the wild" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), though the species persists in ex situ, captive breeding populations.
The Kihansi spray toad is a small, sexually dimorphic anuran, with females reaching up to 2.9 cm (1.1 in) long and males up to 1.9 cm (0.75 in). The toads display yellow skin coloration with brownish dorsolateral striping. Females are often duller in coloration, and males normally have more significant markings Additionally, males exhibit dark inguinal patches on their sides where their hind legs meet their abdomens. Abdominal skin is translucent, and developing offspring can often be seen in the bellies of gravid females.
These toads have webbed toes on their hind legs, but lack expanded toe tips. They lack external ears, but do possess normal anuran inner ear features, with the exception of tympanic membranes and air-filled middle ear cavities.
Prior to its extirpation, the Kihansi spray toad was endemic only to a two hectare area at the base of the Kihansi River waterfall in the Udzungwa escarpment of the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania. The Kihansi Gorge is about 4 km long with a north-south orientation. A number of wetlands made up the habitat of this species, all fed by spray from the Kihansi River waterfall. These wetlands were characterized by dense, grassy vegetation including Panicum grasses, Selaginella kraussiana moss, and snail ferns (Tectaria gemmifera). Areas within the spray zones of the waterfall experienced near-constant temperatures and 100% humidity.
The extinction in the wild of the Kihansi spray toad was mainly due to habitat loss following the construction of Kihansi Dam in 1999, which reduced the amount of water coming down from the waterfall into the gorge by 90 percent. This led to the spray toad's microhabitat being compromised, as it reduced the amount of water spray, which the toads were reliant on. A sprinkler system that mimicked the natural water spray was not yet operational when the Kihansi Dam opened. In 2003 there was a final population crash in the species. This coincided with a breakdown of the sprinkler system during the dry season, the appearance of the disease chytridiomycosis, and the brief opening of the Kihansi Dam to flush out sediments, which contained pesticides. The last confirmed record of wild Kihansi spray toads was in 2004.
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Wikipedia