Pyxicephalus adspersus Tschudi, 1838
The head is very broad. Two large bony spines, separated by a smaller spine, project upwards from the lower jaw. Several prominent, interrupted skin ridges are present on the back. Spade-like inner metatarsal tubercles are present on the heels, and are used for digging. In adults the dorsum is dark olive-green, but may vary from brown to grey and even blue; short sections of the longitudinal skin ridges may be white or cream. In juveniles, a pale vertebral stripe is often present, contrasting sharply with the bright green ground colour. The abdomen is white to creamy-yellow, except in the region of the forelimbs where it is bright yellow in breeding males. Du Preez (1996) adds that dark mottling may be present in the gular region of males (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).
P. adspersus is the largest amphibian found in southern Africa. Males reach a snout-vent length of 245 mm and a mass of 1.4 kg at its largest. In contrast to most other frogs, males are larger than females. In addition, territorial males are larger than non-territorial males (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).