''Bufo bankorensis'' (vernacular names: Central Formosa toad, Bankor toad) is a 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 scientif ...

in the family Bufonidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and widely distributed at elevations up to

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. There has been doubts about its separatedness from '' Bufo gargarizans'' from China and even other species, but it is currently considered a valid species.

Description

''Bufo bankorensis'' is a large toad that can reach , even in snout–vent length. Females are larger than males. The snout is short. Dorsolateral ridge is absent. The tympanum is not prominent. The

parotoid gland The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of toads and some frogs and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known collective ...

s are kidney-shaped. Skin is rough and covered with pointed tubercles of various size. Coloration is light brown color with orange, yellow, or black markings.

Habitat and conservation

''Bufo bankorensis'' are found in a range of habitats at elevations up to : broadleaf forests, cultivated fields, mixed forests, and orchards. They can be seen foraging on insects under street lights during rainy nights. Breeding can take place in both streams and pools. One study found that a temperate population could breed throughout the year, while a subtropical population only bred during the cooler part of year, from September to March. While ''Bufo bankorensis'' is a very common species,

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

remains a threat to it. It is also collected for food and

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q707153 bankorensis Endemic fauna of Taiwan Amphibians of Taiwan Amphibians described in 1908 Taxa named by Thomas Barbour Taxonomy articles created by Polbot