Summary

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.