Bufonidae is the family What does and does not belong to each family is determined by a taxonomist. Similarly for the question if a particular family should be recognized at all. Often there is no exact agreement, with different taxonomists each taking a different position. There are no hard rules that a taxonomist needs to follow in describing or recognizing a family of the true toads, members of the order Anura Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin salere (salio), "to jump"). Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits (fingers or toes), protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Frogs are widely known as exceptional jumpers, and many of the anatomical characteristics of frogs, (frogs and toads). They are the only family of anurans all members of which are known as "toads A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin, brown coloration, and wart-like parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads, though common in popular culture, is not made in taxonomy, where toads are spread across families Bufonidae, Bombinatoridae, Discoglossidae, Pelobatidae,." The bufonids now comprise more than 35 genera, Bufo Bufo is a large genus of about 150 species of true toads in the amphibian family Bufonidae. Bufo is a Latin word for toad being the most widespread and well known.
Characteristics
True toads are widespread and occur natively on every continent except Australia For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of the roughly 250 language groups. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the immediate north and discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Britain in 177 and Antarctica Antarctica (pronounced /ænˈtɑrktɪkə/ ) is Earth's southernmost continent, underlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km2 (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after, inhabiting a variety of environments, from arid areas to rainforest. Most lay eggs in paired strings that hatch into tadpoles A tadpole, polliwog , or pollywiggle (also polliwiggle, polwiggle, or porwiggle) is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly of a frog or toad, although, in the genus Nectophrynoides Nectophrynoides is a genus of true toads endemic to Tanzania. Some species in it have a most unusual reproductive feature. Species of the group are viviparous: fertilization is internal, and the females give live birth. They are the only toads in the world that do not lay eggs the eggs hatch directly into miniature toads.[1]
True toads are toothless and generally warty in appearance. They have a pair of parotoid glands The parotoid gland is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of toads and some frogs and salamanders. It secretes a milky alkaloid substance to deter predators. The substance produced acts as a neurotoxin on the back of their heads. These glands contain an alkaloid poison which the toads excrete when stressed. The poison in the glands contains a number of toxins causing different effects. Bufotoxin is a general term. Different animals contain significantly different substances and proportions of substances. Some, like the cane toad The Cane Toad , also known as the Giant Neotropical Toad or Marine Toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to Central and South America, but has since been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the Caribbean. It is a member of the subgenus Rhinella of the genus Bufo, which includes many different true toad species found Bufo marinus, are more toxic than others. Some "psychoactive toads Psychoactive toad is a name used for toads from which psychoactive substances from the family of bufotoxins can be derived. The skin and venom of Bufo alvarius contain 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin. Other species contain only bufotenin. 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin both belong to the family of hallucinogenic tryptamines. Due to these substances the skin or," such as the Colorado River Toad Bufo alvaris, have been used recreationally Recreational drug use is drug use with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal. Also, it may overlap with other uses, such as medicinal , performance enhancement, and entheogenic (spiritual) for the effects of the bufotoxin.
Male toads possess a Bidder's organ. Under the right conditions, the organ becomes an active ovary and the toad, in effect, becomes female.
Taxonomy
Bufonidae contains about 500 species among more than 35 genera.
| Genus Latin Name and Author |
Common Name |
Species |
| Adenomus Adenomus is a small genus of true toads with only three species endemic to Sri Lanka. Adenomus kandianus is now considered extinct Cope, 1861 |
|
3
|
| Altiphrynoides Dubois, 1987 |
Ethiopian Toads |
2
|
| Amietophrynus Frost et al., 2006 |
|
38
|
| Andinophryne Hoogmoed, 1985 |
Andes Toads |
3
|
| Ansonia Stoliczka, 1870 |
Stream Toads |
25
|
| Atelopus Atelopus is a large genus of true toads natively distributed in Costa Rica to Bolivia and French Guiana. Atelopus are generally brightly colored and diurnal. Most species are associated with mid- to high-elevation streams. This genus has been greatly affected by amphibian declines, and many species are now considered endangered, while others Duméril & Bibron, 1841 |
Stubfoot Toads |
82
|
| Bufo Bufo is a large genus of about 150 species of true toads in the amphibian family Bufonidae. Bufo is a Latin word for toad Laurenti, 1768 |
Toads |
150
|
| Bufoides Bufoides meghalayanus is a species of true toad known as "Mawblang Toad" or "Khasi Hills Toad". The sole species in the genus Bufoides, it is native to Cherrapunji and Khasi Hills at north-eastern India Pillai & Yazdani, 1973 |
Mawblang Toads |
1
|
| Capensibufo Capensibufo is a small genus of true toads with only two species. The common English name is Cape Toads. Found at the Republic of South Africa from Breede River to north of Knysna, Western Cape Province Grandison, 1980 |
Cape Toads |
2
|
| Churamiti Churamiti maridadi is a species of toad endemic to Tanzania. It is listed as a critical endangered species due to a restricted range and habitat loss Channing & Stanley, 2002 |
|
1
|
| Crepidophryne Cope, 1889 |
Cerro Utyum Toads |
3
|
| Dendrophryniscus Dendrophryniscus is a genus of true toads in the Bufonidae family endemic to the atlantic forests of Brazil, amazonian Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and the Guianas. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests Jiménez de la Espada, 1871 |
Tree Toads |
7
|
| Didynamipus Didynamipus sjostedti, the four-digit toad, is a species of toad in the Bufonidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat loss Andersson, 1903 |
Four-digit Toads |
1
|
| Duttaphrynus Duttaphrynus is a genus of true toads. It is endemic to southwestern and southern China and throughout southern Asia from northern Pakistan and Nepal through India to Sri Lanka, Andaman Island, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Bali Frost et al., 2006 |
|
6
|
| Epidalea Cope, 1864 |
Natterjack Toads |
1
|
| Frostius Cannatella, 1986 |
Frost's Toads |
2
|
| Ingerophrynus Frost et al., 2006 |
|
11
|
| Laurentophryne Tihen, 1960 |
Parkers Tree Toads |
1
|
| Leptophryne Leptophryne is a small genus of true toads with only two species, found in southeast Asia, in Peninsular Thailand through the Malay Peninsula Fitzinger, 1843 |
Indonesia Tree Toads |
2
|
| Melanophryniscus Melanophryniscus is a genus of toads composed of 20 amphibian species located in Argentina, south of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay Gallardo, 1961 |
South American Redbelly Toads |
20
|
| Mertensophryne Mertensophryne or "Snouted Frogs" is a genus of true toads native to Eastern and southern Democratic Republic of Congo to Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, southeastern Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique. Mertensophryne consists of species previously allocated to the genera Stephopaedes and Bufo, with just one species, Mertensophryne micranotis, Tihen, 1960 |
Snouted Frogs |
20
|
| Metaphryniscus Señaris, Ayarzagüena & Gorzula, 1994 |
|
1
|
| Nectophryne Nectophryne is a small genus of true toads with only two species. They are native to western Africa - Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, northeastern Congo, Bioko and Equatorial Guinea. Nectophryne afra uses small bodies of water to lay its eggs which are then guarded by the male Buchholz & Peters, 1875 |
African Tree Toads |
2
|
| Nectophrynoides Nectophrynoides is a genus of true toads endemic to Tanzania. Some species in it have a most unusual reproductive feature. Species of the group are viviparous: fertilization is internal, and the females give live birth. They are the only toads in the world that do not lay eggs Noble, 1926 |
African Live-bearing Toads |
13
|
| Nimbaphrynoides Nimbaphrynoides is a small genus of true toads with only two species. They are native to Mount Nimba region of the Ivory Coast and Guinea. The two species are viviparous - giving birth to live offspring rather than laying eggs as most toads do Dubois, 1987 |
Nimba Toads |
2
|
| Oreophrynella Oreophrynella is a genus of true toads native to the tepuis of southern Venezuela, and adjacent Guyana and far northern Brazil Boulenger, 1895 |
Bush Toads |
8
|
| Osornophryne Osornophryne is a genus of true toads endemic to Colombia and Ecuador at Cordillera Central region Ruiz-Carranza & Hernández-Camacho, 1976 |
Plump Toads |
6
|
| Parapelophryne Fei, Ye & Jiang, 2003 |
|
1
|
| Pedostibes Pedostibes is a genus of true toads endemic to South India, Malay Peninsula to Borneo and Sumatra. These species are characterized by horizontal pupils, elliptical tongue, entire and free behind, webbed fingers and toes, tips which are dilated into regular discs and united outer metatarsals Günther, 1876 |
Asian Tree Toads |
6
|
| Pelophryne Pelophryne is a genus of true toads endemic to Philippines, Borneo, Malaya, Singapore and Hainan Island, China Barbour, 1938 |
Flathead Toads |
9
|
| Pseudepidalea Frost, et. al. 2006 |
|
16
|
| Pseudobufo Pseudobufo subasper is a species of toad in the Bufonidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Pseudobufo. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swamps and swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss Tschudi, 1838 |
False Toads |
1
|
| Rhinella Fitzinger, 1826 |
Beaked Toads |
72
|
| Schismaderma The African Red Toad or African Split-skin Toad is a species of toad in the Bufonidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Schismaderma. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Lesotho. Its natural habitats are dry Smith, 1849 |
African Split-skin Toads |
1
|
| Truebella Truebella is a genus of true toads native to Peru at Ayacucho and Junín regions Graybeal & Cannatella, 1995 |
|
2
|
| Werneria Werneria is a genus of true toads endemic to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea Poche, 1903 |
Smalltongue Toads |
6
|
| Wolterstorffina Wolterstorffina is a genus of true toads native to Nigeria and Cameroon Mertens, 1939 |
Wolterstorff Toads |
3
|
References
- ^ a b Zweifel, Richard G. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G.. ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 91–92. ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 0-12-178560-2.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bufonidae |
| Extant anuran Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin salere (salio), "to jump"). Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits (fingers or toes), protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Frogs are widely known as exceptional jumpers, and many of the anatomical characteristics of frogs, families by suborder |
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| Kingdom Animalia Animals are a major group of mostly multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently. All animals are also · Phylum Chordata Chordates are animals which are either vertebrates or one of several closely related invertebrates. They are united by having, for at least some period of their life cycle, a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, an endostyle, and a post-anal tail. The phylum Chordata consists of three subphyla: Urochordata, represented by · Subphylum Craniata Craniata is a proposed clade of chordate animals that contains the Myxini (hagfish), Petromyzontida (including lampreys), and Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) as living representatives. As the name suggests, Craniata are animals with a (hard bone or cartilage) skull in Chordata · Superclass Tetrapoda Tetrapods are vertebrate animals having four feet, legs or leglike appendages. Amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are all tetrapods, and even the limbless snakes are tetrapods by descent. The earliest tetrapods radiated from the Sarcopterygii, or lobe-finned fish · Class Amphibia Amphibians , such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians, are ectothermic (or cold-blooded) animals that metamorphose from a juvenile water-breathing form, either to an adult air-breathing form, or to a paedomorph that retains some juvenile characteristics. Proteidae (mudpuppies and waterdogs) are good examples of paedomorphic species |
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| Archaeobatrachia Archaeobatrachia is a suborder of Anura containing various primitive frogs and toads. As the name literally suggests, these are the most primitive frogs. Many of the species show certain physiological characteristics which are not present in other frogs and toads, thus giving rise to this group. They are largely found in Eurasia, New Zealand, the |
Ascaphidae The tailed frogs are two species of frogs. The species are part of the genus, Ascaphus is the only taxon in the family Ascaphidae . The "tail" in the name is actually an extension of the male cloaca. The tail is one of two distinctive anatomical features adapting the species to life in fast-flowing streams. It is the only North American · Bombinatoridae Bombinatoridae are often referred to as Fire-bellied toads because of their brightly colored ventral sides, which show that they are highly toxic to humans. This family includes two genera, Barbourula and Bombina, both of which have flattened bodies · Discoglossidae Discoglossidae is a family of primitive frogs, with the common name Disc-Tongued Frogs. They are native to Europe and North-West Africa · Leiopelmatidae Leiopelmatidae, or New Zealand primitive frogs, is a family belonging to the suborder Archaeobatrachia. Their relatively primitive form indicates that they have an ancient lineage. Only four species are known to belong to the family. As the common name suggests, they are only found in New Zealand
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| Mesobatrachia |
Megophryidae · Pelobatidae · Pelodytidae · Pipidae · Scaphiopodidae · Rhinophrynidae
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| Neobatrachia |
Amphignathodontidae · Aromobatidae · Arthroleptidae · Brachycephalidae · Bufonidae · Centrolenidae · Craugastoridae · Dendrobatidae · Heleophrynidae · Hemiphractidae · Hemisotidae · Hylidae · Hyperoliidae · Leptodactylidae · Mantellidae · Microhylidae · Myobatrachidae · Petropedetidae · Ranidae · Rhacophoridae · Rhinodermatidae · Sooglossidae
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Categories: Frogs by classification | Bufonidae | Toads
