Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry Pelobates varaldii is
known only from fragmented localized areas along the Atlantic
coastal plains of northwestern Morocco, within the Mediterranean
forests and woodlands ecoregion. This small fossorial toad is
particularly associated with sandy plains near cork oak forests.
Diagnostic features include vertical pupils and webbed toes.
Breeding sites are ephemeral lentic water bodies, which are
scarce in this region. This endangered species is under threat
from an expanding human population in the region, with proximate
drivers of urbanization, conversion of coastal plains to
farmland, and extraction of scarce water resources for human
use.