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The red-spotted toad (''Anaxyrus punctatus''), formerly ''Bufo punctatus'', is a
toad
Toad (also known as a hoptoad) 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.
In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...
in the family Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad
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Category, plural categories, may refer to:
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found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
Description
It is a smalltoad
Toad (also known as a hoptoad) 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.
In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...
species growing to in length. It has a flattened head and body, and a light grey, olive or reddish brown dorsum with reddish or orange skin glands. It has a whitish or buff venter with or without faint dark spotting, and round parotoid gland
The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of some frogs (especially toads), and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known ...
s. The snout is pointed. The juvenile toad looks similar to the adult, but has more prominent ventral spotting and the undersides of its feet are yellow. The male red-spotted toad has a dusky throat and develops nuptial pad
A nuptial pad (also known as thumb pad, or nuptial excrescence) is a secondary sex characteristic present on some mature male frogs and salamanders. Triggered by androgen hormones, this breeding gland (a type of mucous gland) appears as a spike ...
s during the breeding season.
It may hybridize with the western toad
The western toad (''Anaxyrus boreas'') is a large toad species, between long, native to western North America. ''A. boreas'' is frequently encountered during the wet season on roads, or near water at other times. It can jump a considerable dista ...
(''Anaxyrus boreas'') in some locations, possibly with other toad species too. It is docile and easily handled with little or no skin gland secretions.
Distribution and habitat
This toad is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, especiallyBaja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
. It occurs primarily along rocky streams and riverbeds, often in arid or semi-arid regions. It is very localized on the coastal slope, but widespread in the deserts. In dry areas it needs seasonal pools or even temporary rain puddles to use for breeding. Eggs hatch in three days and the tadpole can transform in 6–8 weeks, taking advantage of the ephemeral water bodies. It spends dry periods in burrows or beneath rocks or moist plant matter, and becomes suddenly active during rainfall when multitudes of individuals emerge.Grismer, L. L. (2002). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California.'' Los Angeles: University of California Press, 71.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q28032079 Anaxyrus Amphibians of Mexico Amphibians of the United States Amphibians described in 1852 Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird