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| Slender Legged Toad, Ansonia leptopus (Gunther, 1872). Photographed in the Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Island of Borneo). A. leptopus lives along large streams, females reach 60 mm, males are smaller, about 35 mm. It occurs in primary rainforest and this one was sitting on a rock, next to the water. It occur at low elevations in Borneo, and possibly peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra (these populations may represent a different species). |
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| Spiny Stream Toad, Ansonia spinulifera (Mocquard, 1890). Photographed in the Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Island of Borneo). Females reach 50 mm, males 41 mm. It is a primary rainforest toad that deposits its eggs in fast moving streams. The tadpoles may ascend vertical cliffs that are in the splash zone. It is known from a few localities in Sabah and Sarawak. |
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| Slender-legged Toad, Leptophryne borbonica (Tschudi, 1838). Photographed in southern Thailand at the Tong Na Chang Water Fall, near Hat Yai. This species inhabits the rainforest of Peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. It usually occurs in the vicinity of streams. |
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| Colorado River Toad, Ollotis alvaria Girard, 1859. S. Arizona. This large toad inhabits the Colorado and Gila river drainage basins in the USA, and ranges southwards into Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico. It is a nocturnal and semi-aquatic, desert dwelling toad that appears shortly before the summer rains. Although it may be active in areas where humans have increased the water supply (irrigation ditches). The skin secretion is particularly toxic. The specimen in the photograph was a captive of unknown origins. This frog has also been placed in the genus Cranopsis. Click on the photo for more neotropical toads in the genera Ollotis and Rhinella. |
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| American toad, Anaxyrus americanus (Holbrook, 1836). Kankakee County, Illinois USA. A toadlet that has just transformed from a tadpole. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo. Click on the photo for more toads in the genus Anaxyrus. |
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| Giant Asian River Toad, Phrynoides asper (Gravenhorst, 1829). Photographed in Khao Luang National Park. This species occurs from southern Myanmar through western and peninsular Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It also occurs on Borneo, Sumatra and Java. This is a giant toad, that rivals, if not exceeds the sizes attained by the marine toad. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo. |
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| Inger's River Toad, Phrynoides juxtasper (Inger, 1964). Photographed in the Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Island of Borneo). This large toad occurs in Borneo and Sumatra. It uses primary rainforest as well as habitats disturbed by man. Females may reach 215 mm. Like many bufonids it feeds on ants as well as other invertebrates Formerly placed in the genus Bufo. |
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Black-spined Toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799). Kandy, Sri Lanka. This is a large, toxic toad, widespread in South and Southeast Asia. It has apparently been introduced on to some Indonesian Islands, and Papua New Guinea. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo. |
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| Indochinese Dwarf Toad, Ingerophrynus parvus (Boulenger, 1887). Photographed in Khao Luang National Park, Thailand. This toad was calling on a huge boulder with small pools of water, the boulder was next to a stream. Formerly placed in the genus Bufo. |
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| Brown Tree Toad, Pedostibes hosii Boulenger, 1892. Photographed in the Danum Valley, Sabah (Island of Borneo). This is a toad of primary rainforests that spends much of its time in trees and lays its eggs in small pools along the edges of streams. Females attain a total length of 104 mm, males reach 79 mm. Males call from low vegetation along streams. |
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| Rough Tree Toad, Pedostibes rugosus Inger, 1958. Photographed in the Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Island of Borneo). This species is endemic to Borneo and restricted to primary and old secondary forests at low to moderate elevations. Females reach 95 mm, males 76 mm. |
| Family Information |
| Natural populations of true toads are found on most land masses in temperate and tropical latitudes, but they are absent from the poles, Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and most Pacific islands. The marine toad or cane toad, Rhinella marinus, has been introduced into Australia, and many of the islands in the Caribbean by humans for biological control of agricultural pests. Unfortunately the toads became another pests. In the New World toads are usually terrestrial with short legs, stout bodies, and wart covered skin, but there are many exceptions in other parts of the world. Adults range in size from about 20 mm to about 230 mm. A range of reproductive modes are used by toads with most species laying eggs in water and most have free-ling tadpoles that feed, but a few retain eggs in the female’s body and have live birth (the west African Nectophrynoides occidentalis). Like most amphibians toads produce interesting chemical compounds (bufogenins and bufodienolides) in their skin, some are toxic to humans and but the molecules are used by the toad for defense against predators and microorganisms. Some of these same molecules occur in the eggs of at least some species. While many species are terrestrial, some are arboreal or aquatic. Currently more than 500 species in 34 genera are placed in this family. The True toads and the Dendrobatidae are sisters and shared an ancestor about 54.6 Ma (68-45 Ma). Here I follow the nomenclature used by Frost et al. 2006, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, No. 297 and the follow-up changes that can be found on the American Museum's Amphibians of the World web site. |