Bioacoustics of Werneria tandyi

Description .— This species has a longer, more slender and more parallel body shape than the other Werneria species ( Fig. 1 c). Males reach 28.4–35.0 mm SVL, females 37.4– 41.2 mm . It has a straight and pointed head ( Fig. 4 c); dorsum uniform chocolate brown; or slightly silverish white, with white very well­delimitated dorsolateral lines ( 1 mm wide); hind legs without black bars, coloured like back; flanks very dark to black; venter clear brown ( Fig. 2 c), sometimes nearly yellowish grey, with scattered minute ( 0.3–0.5 mm ) white or yellow spots, that may be absent on the throat and ventral surfaces of the hind legs; hind legs are thin and long and covered with flattened tubercles (hence skin appearing granular); rest of dorsal skin smooth but dull; whitish tubercles might be present on the dorsal surface of thighs, especially in subadults; toes are very straight and almost smooth, with only traces of webbing ( Fig. 3 c). With the exception of nuptial pads on the first finger no obvious sexual characters are visible. However, Perret (1966) described a male (as B. preussi ) completely covered with spinulae, especially on the head and on the breast. Tadpole description.— The MHNG collection includes three tadpoles collected by J.­ L. Perret at Nsoung, Mt. Manengouba, and assigned by him to W. tandyi . We herein figure and describe briefly these typical Werneria tadpoles. Body very broad and dorsoventrally flattened ( Fig. 6 a, b); eyes and nostrils positioned dorsally; nostrils much closer to eyes than to snout; short and very muscular tail; tail fin inserting approximately at body end; only posterior half of tail with broader fin, rounded at tail tip; spiraculum sinistral, invisible from dorsal view; large sucker­like mouth; labial tooth row formula is 2 / 3; upper jaw small, in form of a compressed ‘m’; only narrow part of upper and lower jaws distinctively keratinized (black colour) ( Fig. 7 ); median vent tube; dorsal colour brown, anterior part of body and venter nearly hyaline; fin hyaline without pattern. Measurements of the three tadpoles are summarized in Tab. 4 . As these tadpoles were not raised from eggs obtained from known parents and two other Werneria species are known from Mt. Manengouba, species affiliation should be taken as tentative. Natural history .— W. tandyi is a frog with a typical submontane distribution, occurring at altitudes of 1,000–1,700 m . The habitat is characterized by cool temperature, low insolation, high precipitation and frequent mist. At Mt. Manengouba W. tandyi lives at 1,350–1,750 m a.s.l. A specimen from Dikome Balue was found at 1,000 m . This toad occurs on the verges of fast­flowing streams, often under stones and always in forest habitats. Several individuals may cluster together on rocks in the splash zone. Males with nuptial callosities have been collected from the end of November to the end of March. W. tandyi was most often encountered in the dry season. Gravid females have been collected at the end of March, whilst migrating during daytime. It is thus likely that the species reproduces at the beginning of the rainy season ( Amiet 1972 ). A dissected female contained 629 unpigmented eggs ( 1.5 mm dia., Amiet 1976b ). Amiet (1976a) described and figured a call (described as "tiuc" or "hui") for the species, but did not consider it to be an advertisement call. Instead he believed it to have some territorial function.