Duttaphrynus himalayanus

Himalayan toad
Pair in amplexus (Munsiari, Uttaranchal, India)
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Bufonidae
Genus:	Duttaphrynus
Species:	D. himalayanus
Binomial name
Duttaphrynus himalayanus (Günther, 1864)
Synonyms
Bufo melanostictus var. himalayanus Günther, 1864 Bufo himalayanus Günther, 1864 Bufo abatus Ahl, 1925 Bufo cyphosus Ye, 1977

Himalayan toad, Duttaphrynus himalayanus, is a species of toad that is widely distributed throughout the Himalayan mountains. The Yunnanese populations are sometimes considered a separate species, Duttaphrynus cyphosus.^[1][2]

Description

Crown deeply concave, with low, blunt supraorbital ridges; snout short, blunt; interorbitol space broader than the upper eyelid; tympanum very small, rather indistinct. First finger not extending beyond second; toes half or two thirds webbed, with single sub-articular tubercles ; two moderate metatarsal tubercles ; no tarsal fold. The tarso-metatarsal articulation reaches the anterior border of the eye or the tip of the snout. Upper parts with irregular, distinctly porous warts ; parotoids very prominent, large, elongate, at least as long as the head. Uniform brown. Male without vocal sacs.^[3]

From snout to vent 130 mm (5 in).

Distribution and habitat

From Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, through northern India and adjacent Bangladesh and Nepal to Tibet and Yunnan in China. It occurs at the elevations of 2,000–3,500 m (6,600–11,500 ft) asl. Presumably it also occurs in Bhutan and Burma.^[2] This high-altitude species can also occur in the evergreen forests of the foothills. It inhabits mountain forests and shrubland near streams, also to be found in the vicinity of seepages and fields. It is largely a terrestrial toad. Breeding takes place in hill streams, small pools and puddles.^[1]

References