American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus (Holbrook, 1836). McHenry County, IL USA. This species' habitat ranges from forests to grasslands, agroecosystems, and suburban environments. It is widespread in eastern Canada and the eastern USA. It is the toad most likely to be encountered. The American toad is an explosive breeder, with most reproduction occurring over a period of just a few days for any given population. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo

American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus, a toadlet metamorphosing. McHenry County, IL USA

Dwarf American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi (P. Smith, 1961). Photographed at Giant City State Park, Jackson Co., Illinois. Pair in amplexus Note that I am considering this a separate taxa here because Masta, et al. (2002, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 24: 302-314) found that it is in a distinctive mtDNA clade suggesting that it might be an independent lineage. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

Dwarf American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi (P. Smith, 1961). Photographed at Giant City State Park, Jackson Co., Illinois. The strings of eggs that look like strings of beads were laid within a few minutes of making the image, the strings that are more swollen and opaque were probably laid several hours before they were photographed.

The Boreal Toad, Anaxyrus boreas (Baird and Girard, 1852). A captive specimen of unknown origins. The Boreal Toad is a high elevation species that ranges from southwest Alaska and western Canada southward to Baja California, Mexico. It uses high elevation lakes and ponds as well as beaver ponds and marshy areas. Adults are usually less than 90 mm in length. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

The Great Plains Toad, Anaxyrus cognatus. Cochise County, Arizona. Adults may reach 114 mm. It uses desert scrub and grasslands, but also agroecosystems, spending much of life underground. Breeding often occurs in conjunction with the monsoon rains of the summer, but may breed when spring rains occur. Females lay huge clutches of eggs (1330-45,000). Like most toads it feeds on a variety of invertebrates. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

Fowler’s Toad, Anaxyrus folweri (Hinckley, 1882. Central Illinois, USA. Fowler's Toad was long considered a race of A. woodhousei, molecular evidence shows it to be distinct and most closely related to A. terrestris. This common toad ranges over much of the eastern USA, and it is known to hybridize with other toads. It appears to like sandy soil areas near streams, but will use agricultural fields with black soil. The specimen calling in the top photo may be a hybrid with A. americanus. The lower photo was an albino, captive specimen from Tennessee. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

The Southwestern Toad, Anaxyrus microscaphus (Cope, 1867), this specimen is from Arizona. The Southwestern Toad exists as a series of separate populations on the Mogollon Plateau of New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Adults are 50-84 mm in length. It uses permanent streams or ponds with sandy or rocky bottoms in a variety of habitats, although it is often absent from agroecosystems. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

The Red Spotted Toad, Anaxyrus punctatus (Baird and Girard, 1852), this specimen is from western Kansas, but the species ranges south and west into Texas and California. Most specimens are in the 38-63 mm range. It uses rocky areas near springs and other water sources. Unlike many other toads its eggs are laid singly on the bottom of a pool of water. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

Oak Toad, Anaxyrus quercus (Holbrook, 1840). Photographed in Alachua Co., FL, USA. A dwarf toad distributed on the Gulf Coastal Plain of the Southeastern USA. It is a dwarf toad with a maximum size of about 33 mm. It is abundant in Pine Woods. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

Sonoran Green Toad, Anaxyrus retriformis (Sanders and Smith, 1951). Photographed in southern Arizona. The species ranges from central-western Sonora (Mexico) northward to southwest-central Arizona (USA). Adults are 30-70 mm. This toad spends most of its time underground. It inhabits creosote bush flats, mesquite grasslands, and saguaro-palo verde communities. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

Southern Toad, Anaxyrus terrestris (Bonnaterre, 1789)
(upper photo taken in Alachua Co., FL, USA; lower photo taken in South Carolina, USA). This species likes sandy soil and it inhabits the Gulf Coastal Plain from southeast Virginia to southern Florida and westward to Mississippi and southern Louisiana. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo

The Texas Toad, Anaxyrus speciosus (Girard, 1854) , Presidio Co., Texas, USA. This species ranges from Oklahoma, USA to the Mexican Plateau and the Gulf coastal Plain of Mexico. The Texas Toad prefers sandy soils and is common in short-grass prairies as well as mesquite savannas. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.

The Southwestern Toad, Anaxyrus woodhousei australis (Shannon and Lowe, 1955), the specimen at the left is from West Texas. The type locality for this race is in the city limits of Tempe (Maricopa County), Arizona. The Southwestern Toad uses wet areas, and is often found in agroecosystems and along drainage ditches in deserts and grasslands. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo.