Arroyo toad

The Arroyo toad, Anaxyrus californicus (syn. Bufo californicus), is a stocky, blunt-nosed, warty-skinned species of toad, between 5 and 7.5 cm long. It has horizontal pupils, and is greenish, grey or salmon on the dorsum with a light-colored stripe across the head and eyelids. It has light sacral and mid-dorsal patches, large, oval and widely-separated parotoid glands, and weak or absent cranial crests.

The juvenile of this species are ashy-white, olive or salmon on the dorsal side, with or without black spotting. It has red-tipped tubercles on its back.

Habitat

Anaxyrus californicus prefers sandy or cobbly washes with swift currents and associated upland and riparian habitats, in Southern California and Baja California. It is active from March through September, but will be inactive even during that time in periods of cold or windy conditions.^[1]

The Arroyo toad is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of habitat destruction.

References

• Pauly, G. B., D. M. Hillis, and D. C. Cannatella. (2004) The history of a Nearctic colonization: Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the Nearctic toads (Bufo). Evolution 58: 2517–2535.
• Hammerson & Santos-Barrera (2004). Bufo californicus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is endangered
• This article is based on a description from A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Coastal Southern California, Robert N. Fisher and Ted J. Case, USGS, http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fieldguide/index.htm.
• Sahagun, L. Endangered arroyo toads cling to existence in the Tehachapi Mountains. Los Angeles Times August 26, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2011.

1. ^ Grismer, L. L. (2002). Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 68.