Morphological variation of the African green toad, Bufo boulengeri (Amphibia: Anura) in Tunisia.

This study describes patterns of geographic variation in morphometric characters of the African green toad Bufo boulengeri, from Tunisia (11 populations). Body size differences of 89 specimens were analysed with univariate statistics, and body proportions with multivariate methods. Among-groups differences in morphometric characters included both size and shape. Southern populations were found to have larger body size than northern ones, and there was an association between climatic factors and morphological characters. The observed clinal variation in both body size and weight may result from phenotypic plasticity correlated with local environmental factors.