One of just five midwife toad species, the Moroccan midwife toad (Alytes maurus) belongs to a rather remarkable genus in which the male provides the majority of parental care. It is from this unusual behaviour that the common name of Alytes species, the ‘midwife toads’, is derived (3). The Moroccan midwife toad was previously considered to be a subspecies of the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans), as the adult appearance of both species is extremely similar (3) (4) (5). However, it is in fact more closely related to the Betic and Mallorcan midwife toads (Alytes dickhilleni and Alytes muletensis) (3) (5).
Like other midwife toads, the Moroccan midwife toad has a stout body and a rather large head (2) (3). It has long limbs, short, unwebbed fingers and long toes which are webbed at the base (3). The Moroccan midwife toad has large eyes with vertical, slit-shaped pupils (2) (3), and a rounded, flattened tongue (3).
The Moroccan midwife toad is pale to brownish, with small black and brown dots and olive or green spots on the back. It has spots of grey on the throat and chest and the underside is whitish (2) (3). The underarms and ankles have large, reddish warts, while large warts also run in a row from the tympanum along the body to the groin (2) (3). Small glands, called parotoid glands, are also visible as warts on the head above the eyes (2). The female Moroccan midwife toad is typically larger than the male (3).
The tadpoles of the Moroccan midwife toad can be distinguished by the network of pigmented cells apparent on the body, which are arranged in a loose, irregular fashion. The lower jaw of the tadpole has a dark border (2).
The Moroccan midwife frog produces a short, whistling call which rises briefly at the beginning (6).
- Crapaud Accoucheur.
- Adult snout-vent length: up to 5.5 cm (2)
- Tadpole length: 2.4 - 5.6 cm (2)