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Vandijkophrynus gariepensis (Smith, 1848)

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Open encyclopedia reference

The Karoo toad, Gariep toad, or mountain toad (Vandijkophrynus gariepensis) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae found in southern Namibia, much of South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini. It is an abundant species that occurs in many types habitat: fynbos heathland, succulent karoo, thickets, grassland, and Nama Karoo. Breeding takes place in permanent and temporary waterbodies (e.g., streams, waterholes, lakes, rain pools, even hoof prints). There are no significant threats to this adaptable species.

Wikipedia contributors, Karoo toad; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T18:54:37.686637+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Vandijkophrynus gariepensis (Smith, 1848)
Name authority
(Smith, 1848)
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Amphibia
Order
Anura
Family
Bufonidae
Genus
Vandijkophrynus
Extinction status
Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classAmphibia
  9. orderAnura
  10. familyBufonidae Gray, 1825
  11. genusVandijkophrynus Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan et al., 2006
  12. speciesVandijkophrynus gariepensis (Smith, 1848)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Vandijkophrynus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Vandijkophrynus inyangae (Poynton, 1963)BufonidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 502 records assigned to Bufonidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Bufo granti Boulenger, 1903 Boulenger, 1903synonym
Bufo gariepensis Smith, 1848 Smith, 1848synonym

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=773763 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:7FFG6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.