Blomberg's toad (''Rhaebo blombergi''), also known as the Colombian giant toad, is a very large species of

toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...

in the family

Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category contains both species commonly called toads, and the true toads from the family Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, cat ...

. It is found in rainforests at altitudes between in western Colombia ( Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Nariño Departments) and northwestern

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

(

Carchi Carchi () is a Provinces of Ecuador, province in Ecuador. The capital is Tulcán. The Carchi River rises on the slopes of Chiles (volcano), Chiles volcano and forms the boundary between Colombia and Ecuador near Tulcan. Rumichaca Bridge is the m ...

, Esmeraldas, and

Imbabura Province Imbabura () is a province located in the Andes of northern Ecuador. The capital is Ibarra. The people of the province speak Spanish, and a large portion of the population also speaks the Imbaburan Kichwa variety of the Quechua language. The s ...

s). It has been recorded in Florida in 1963, apparently because of pet escape or release, but did not get established.

Etymology

This species epithet commemorates Swedish explorer

Rolf Blomberg Rolf Blomberg (11 November 1912 – 8 December 1996) was a Swedish explorer, non-fiction writer, photographer and producer of documentary films.

who collected the

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes t ...

Description

''Rhaebo blombergi'' is one of the world's largest toads: males measure and females in snout–to–

vent Vent or vents may refer to: Science and technology Biology *Vent, the cloaca region of an animal * Vent DNA polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase Geology *Hydrothermal vent, a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated wate ...

length.

Life history

Fecundity of captive individuals has been 15,000–80,000 eggs of in diameter. Captive individuals have an average lifespan of ten years, with the maximum reported age of 28 years.

Habitat and conservation

''Rhaebo blombergi'' inhabit closed lowland tropical rainforest. They breed in pools, both temporary and permanent. It is locally common but considered

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...

by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

(IUCN) because of habitat loss and pollution. It is also collected for pet trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1759940 blombergi Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Ecuador Amphibians described in 1951 Taxa named by George S. Myers Taxonomy articles created by Polbot