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Vol. 48 No. 1, 2009
Osteological Peculiarities of Bufo brongersmai (Anura: Bufonidae)
and Their Possible Relation to Life in an Arid Environment
Massimo
Delfino1,*, Stefano Doglio2, Zbynek Roček3, 4,
Daniele Seglie5, and Lahcen Kabiri6
1Dipartimento
di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Via G. La Pira 4,
I-50121, Firenze, Italy
2Centro Studi e Museo d,Arte Preistorica, Viale
Giolitti 1, I-10064, Pinerolo, Italy
3Laboratory of Palaeobiology, Geological Institute,
Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 135, CZ-165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
4Department of Zoology, Charles University, Vinicna 7,
CZ-128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic
5Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell,Uomo,
Università di Torino, via Accademia Albertina 17, I-10125 Torino, Italy
6Laboratoire LFS [SCEEP], Département de Géologie,
Faculté des Sciences et Techniques Errachidia, Université Moulay
Ismaïl, BP 509 Boutalamine 52 000 Errachidia, Morocco
Massimo
Delfino, Stefano Doglio, Zbynek Roček, Daniele Seglie, and Lahcen
Kabiri (2009) The morphology of selected isolated skeletal
elements of the northwestern African endemic toad Bufo brongersmai
Hoogmoed 1972 is herein described and compared to those of other
Bufo species inhabiting the same area and Europe. The
osteological morphology of this species clearly differentiates it from
others within the genus, and several diagnostic osteological characters
are added to the specific diagnosis. In particular, the presence
in adult individuals of a rather-large maxillary fontanella, which late
in ontogeny is reduced to a few foramina, has not been observed
in other species. These fontanellae, as well as the fenestrations
on the sphenethmoid, together with other osteological traits, suggest a
significant degree of hypo-ossification. This seems likely
related to the rapid larval development that allows B. brongersmai
to achieve higher reproductive fitness than other species in the highly
ephemeral waters of the rocky, arid environment it inhabits.
Other peculiar osteological traits could be related to the exploitation
of small crevices to protect adults from overheating and desiccation.
Key words: Bufo
bufo, Bufo calamita, Bufo mauritanicus, Bufo viridis, Hypo-ossification.
*Correspondence: E-mail:massimo.delfino@unifi.it
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