Werneria preussi
Creators: name: Petzold, Alice
name: Norden, Vanessa
name: Gonwouo, Nono L.
name: Segniagbeto, Gabriel H.
name: Ohler, Annemarie
name: Rödel, Mark-Oliver
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Bufonidae
Werneria
Werneria preussi

description: Werneria preussi (Matschie, 1893)
Figs. 2e, 4
Bufo preussi Matschie, 1898
Atelopus africanus Werner, 1898
Stenoglossa fulva Andersson, 1903
Werneria fulva Poche, 1903
Werneria africanus Segniagbeto et al. 2007
Lectotype. ZMB 93453 (Fig. 4), an adult male from the type series, which included originally 60 specimens, of which only 53 are confirmed to remain in European wet collections (see details below). We designated this specimen as the lectotype herein based on its good preservation state and available molecular data (NCBI accession numbers: PQ535710, PQ535716, PQ537336).
Paralectotypes. The original species description has been based on a total of 60 specimens collected by Paul Preuss on the 24 th of October in 1891. Excluding the herein designated lectotype, 50 paralectotypes are still available in the wet collection of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, which are the following: ZMB 19956, ZMB 19963–19964, ZMB 19970, ZMB 93430–93452, 93454–93473, and ZMB 94368–94370. Two more specimens from the original type series are further to be found in the wet collections of the NHM, London (BMNH 1935.2.8.3) and the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (MCZ-A-137998, for pictures consult https://eol. org/pages/47056119/media).
Type locality. Buëa, Mt. Cameroon, Fako District, South-West Region, Cameroon, 950 m.
Measurements of the lectotype. SVL 33.6 mm; HL 9.6 mm; HW 11.8 mm; ED 4.6 mm; END 3.6 mm; NSD 4.8 mm; NND 3.3 mm; IOD 3.9 mm; ELL 4.9 mm; TDH 1.7 mm; TDV 1.7 mm; HAL 9.2 mm; UAL 8.4 mm; LAL 8.3 mm; THIL 16.6 mm; THIW 7.4 mm; TIBL 17.5 mm; TIBW 3.9 mm; FOL 25.8 mm; ST 4.2 mm; OMCL 1.1 mm; IMTL absent.
Description. The specimen is of moderate size and in good preservation state, with no evidence of any fractures and only a small incision on the left thigh, which was made for the extraction of tissue to generate molecular data. After over 130 years in preservative, however, the coloration of the specimen has faded to a pale creamy brown, with darker coloration in the dorsal and especially lateral areas. The dorsal surface of the head and the ventral region are significantly lighter in coloration than the rest of the body. The colour of the specimen in life is unknown. The snout is broadly rounded in dorsal view and pointed in lateral view, with the eyes and nostrils positioned laterally, making them difficult to discern from the dorsal perspective. The skin structure on the dorsal site of the head and belly is smooth, while the dorsal area, the thighs and lower legs have a finely granular texture. The sides of the snout show papillae and spinulae, the loreal region is straight and the tympanum is round and indistinct. The throat is of smooth texture, showing a clear brown color speckled with minute white spots. It has a large round palmar tubercle, 1.7 mm in length and 1.5 mm in width, and the lower arm is distinctly wider than the upper arm. The toes are moderately webbed with the formula being 1(0), 2i(0), 2e(0), 3i(1.5), 3e(01.5), 4i(2), 4e(2), 5(1). The relative length of toes is 1<2<3=5<4 and the shortest toe exhibits dermal fringes on the external side. The outer metatarsal tubercle is round oval, the inner metatarsal tubercle is absent and the subarticular tubercle is indistinct.
description: Published as part of Petzold, Alice, Norden, Vanessa, Gonwouo, Nono L., Segniagbeto, Gabriel H., Ohler, Annemarie & Rödel, Mark-Oliver, 2025, Phylogenetic relationships within western African Torrent Toads (Anura: Bufonidae: Werneria) with focus on the taxonomic status of Werneria preussi and Atelopus africanus, pp. 351-373 in Zootaxa 5575 (3) on pages 361-362, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5575.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14746996