are grey speckled with white and there is a thin white line bordering the lower jaw. The limbs are barred with dark bands on a greyish or brownish background and the back of the thigh, and sometimes the flanks, are bright red. The combined effect of this colouration is to make the frog resemble a dead leaf and it is well camouflaged when among the leaf litter on the forest floor. The new species differs from the two subspecies in that the posterior part of the abdomen is a darker colour, the line along the spine is dark and the eyelid processes are less-pointed. It is also distinguished genetically from them. There is a 2.2 to 2.8% variation in the 16S rRNA gene, the gene used for investigation, between it and the two subspecies whereas the subspecies are genetically more similar to each other (0.9 to 1.1%) than either of them is to the new species (A. channingi). A. s. chevalieri is the largest subspecies with adult males having an average snout-to-vent length of while A. s. superciliaris averages . The new species is shorter again at . Females are rather larger than males. Distribution and habitat The African giant toad is native to tropical Central and West Africa. In the western part of its range it is rare and is found in primary forests alongside rivers, but further east it is found in both primary and secondary forests, in dense undergrowth and in cocoa plantations. Here it is more numerous but is still uncommon. Another view is that as this species is nocturnal and is so cryptically-coloured as to be difficult to discern, it may be much more common than is presently thought. Biology Little is currently known about the biology of the African giant toad. Breeding probably takes place in the dry season, January to March. Clutches of eggs are laid in streams in areas of relatively calm water, the female probably depositing long strings of eggs wrapped around underwater vegetation. Juveniles have been seen in January in Nigeria, in March in Cameroon, and young toads less than long have been observed in February and the months between May and October in other parts of the range. Prey is likely to consist of invertebrates caught by the toad amongst the leaf-litter or in the water. This toad is known to consume ants and in captivity has eaten snails,