Werneria, also known as the torrent toads or smalltongue toads, is a small genus of "true toads", family Bufonidae. They are found in western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon), with the greatest species richness in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon. The species generally have restricted or patchy distributions and are considered threatened.
The genus is named after Franz Werner, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist who was active in Africa.
Werneria are medium-sized toads with a snout-to-vent length between 3and(-); females tend to be larger than males. They do not have hearing organs, vocal sacs (they are silent), nor parotoid glands. Skin is smooth. Toe webbing ranges from rudimentary to full. Tadpoles have a short, muscular tail and a flat body with a huge sucker mouth.
| Binomial name and author | Common name |
|---|---|
| Werneria bambutensis | Bamboutos smalltongue toad, Bambuto torrent toad |
| Werneria iboundji | Iboundji torrent toad |
| Werneria mertensiana | Mertens' smalltongue toad, Mertens' torrent toad |
| Werneria preussi | Buea smalltongue toad, Preuss' torrent toad |
| Werneria submontana | hill torrent toad |
| Werneria tandyi | Tandy's smalltongue toad, Tandy's torrent toad |
Werneria are associated with torrential forest streams, which also is their breeding habitat. Tadpoles use their sucker mouth to cling to the rocks. Outside the breeding season, adult toads can be found in leaf litter far away from streams. They are known from altitudes between 560m–2600mm (1,840feet–8,500feetm)