The Mongolian toad (''Strauchbufo raddei''), also known commonly as the piebald toad or the Siberian sand toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. The species is endemic to northeastern Asia. It was formerly placed in the genus '' Bufo'', then for a few years in ''

Pseudepidalea ''Bufotes'', the Eurasian green toads or Palearctic green toads, is a genus of true toads (family Bufonidae). They are native to Europe (absent from the British Isles, most of Fennoscandia, most of France and the Iberian Peninsula), western ...

'' until finally moved to its own genus ''Strauchbufo''.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''raddei'', is in honor of German naturalist Gustav Radde.

Geographic range

''S. raddei'' ranges through much of northern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Mongolia, and the Russian Far East, and is also found in North Korea. It is particularly common in the

Amur River The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's List of longest rivers, tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China, Northeastern China (Inne ...

basin of China and Russia.

Description

The Mongolian toad is relatively small, with adults not exceeding a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of .

Habitat

''S. raddei'' ranges through a wide range of habitats and is often found in dry regions, preferring sandy soil. It was first described based on specimens from the Alashan desert. The species does not occur above , nor below . The northernmost population is found on Olkhon Island in Russia's

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

Reproduction

The mating season of ''S. raddei'' occurs between March and July, depending on the local climate. Eggs are typically laid in shallow puddles, leading to the death of many tadpoles as the puddles dry up. The Mongolian toad hibernates in the ground, usually in groups, in holes up to deep.

Diet

When adult, the Mongolian toad favours ants as food, particularly in arid regions. It also eats spiders and beetles.

Taxonomy

The Mongolian toad was classified as '' Bufo raddei'' prior to the 2006 definition of the genus ''Pseudepidalea''. (''Pseudepidalea raddei'', new combination). In 2010, it was shown that ''Pseudepidalea'' is a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of '' Bufotes''. The divergent Mongolian toad was moved to its own genus ''Strauchbufo'' in 2012.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1038983 Bufonidae Amphibians of China Amphibians of Korea Amphibians of Mongolia Amphibians of Russia Amphibians described in 1842