This horned toadlikely new to scienceis restricted to the sandy Jalapco, a transition zone between a plateau and depositional sandy soils at the headwaters of a river drainage. The toad's brown, bumpy skin serves as camouflage.

"It is really a very cryptic toad," Conservation International biologist Cristiano Nogueira said.

Unlike related species, the newly discovered toad prefers open grasslands in and around the Serra Geral do Tocantins Ecological Station, the second largest protected area in the Cerrado.

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