This is a large rotund frog with short legs. The dorsum is brown to green and covered in rough glands that are elongate or round. There are projections on the lower jaw that resemble teeth. The tympanum is small, but distinctly visible. The first finger is longer than the second. The toes are webbed only at the base (Harper et al., 2010).

Author(s): Zimkus, Breda

Rights holder(s): Zimkus, Breda

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Males do not exceed 120 mm in snout–vent length (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Males are up to 100 mm and females up to 145 mm in snout-vent length (Harper et al., 2010).

Author(s): Zimkus, Breda

Rights holder(s): Zimkus, Breda

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The original description of this speciesby Peters (1854) is woefully inadequate, including only the following: "Pedibus longitudine corpori aequalibus; olivaceo-viridis, maculis fuscis, linea dorsali flava." This is translated by B. Zimkus to the following: "Foot length equal to the body; olive-green, dark spots, yellow dorsal line."

Author(s): Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

Rights holder(s): Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

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This was previously considered a subspecies of P. adspersus, but the teeth-like projections and large size are distinctive (Harper et al., 2010).

Author(s): Zimkus, Breda

Rights holder(s): Zimkus, Breda

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Jacobsen (1989) found that this species inhabits several bushveld vegetation types in the northeastern parts of the Savanna Biome, from sea level to an altitude of about 1500 m (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

This species inhabits flooded grasslands and shrubland up to 1500 m (Harper et al., 2010).

Author(s): Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

Rights holder(s): Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

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Food items include a variety of invertebrates and small vertebrates, including frogs. Several bird species, Nile Monitors Varanus niloticus and humans are known to prey on this species (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Author(s): Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

Rights holder(s): Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

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Flat, low-lying areas in open, grassy woodland, that become flooded after heavy rain or contain shallow, seasonal pans, constitute prime breeding habitat and support large breeding populations. Channing et al. (1994a) found this species breeding in rice paddies in Mozambique. Breeding takes place at night after heavy rain. No aggressive behaviour was observed in a breeding population near Beira (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Breeding takes place in shallow pools with ample vegetation. Females lay several thousand eggs singly and scattered. Males guard tadpoles (Harper et al., 2010).

Author(s): Zimkus, Breda; Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

Rights holder(s): Zimkus, Breda; Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

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The advertisement call was described by Channing (2001) as sounding like “the barking of a small dog."

Author(s): Zimkus, Breda

Rights holder(s): Zimkus, Breda

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P. edulis spends up to 10 months of the year in a dormant state beneath the soil surface (Mitchell 1946), the species products a cocoon to prevent desiccation (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

This is a fossorial species that is seen only in the rainy season (Harper et al., 2010).

Author(s): Zimkus, Breda; Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

Rights holder(s): Zimkus, Breda; Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

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More detailed studies of habitat requirements, breeding biology, duration of the larval stage and development are recommended for this species (Text from Minter et al., 2004, © SI/MAB Biodiversity Program).

Author(s): Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

Rights holder(s): Cook, C.L.; Minter, L.R.

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In Burkino Faso, P. edulis is one of many frog species that are traded and it is the second most consumed frog species. In Malanville, Benin, it is the third most commonly "caught and traded frog." Because villagers are employed to catch and prepare frogs, and because they are an "important international trading item",  frogs are an integral part of the economy in areas with large frog populations. Aside from their value as an essential food source, they may also be used for cultural reasons and as traditional medicine in areas where Western medicine is not available. The overexploitation of frogs has lead to villagers observing high decline rates in several species of frog, P. edulis having the highest reported rate among them. (Mohneke, 2010)

Author(s): Manalel, Jasmine

Rights holder(s): Manalel, Jasmine

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