True toad

True toads Temporal range: 57–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Paleocene – Recent[1]
Common toad or European toad, Bufo bufo
Territorial call of an Atelopus franciscus male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Suborder:	Neobatrachia
Family:	Bufonidae Gray, 1825
Genera
Over 35 see text
Native distribution of Bufonidae (in black)

Song of Common toad or European toad, Bufo bufo.

The true toads are the family Bufonidae, members of the order Anura (frogs and toads). They are the only family of anurans in which all members are known as "toads", although some may be called frogs (such as harlequin frogs). The bufonids now comprise more than 35 genera, Bufo being the most widespread and well known.

Characteristics

True toads are widespread and are native to every continent except Australia and Antarctica, inhabiting a variety of environments, from arid areas to rainforest. Most lay eggs in paired strings that hatch into tadpoles, although, in the genus Nectophrynoides, the eggs hatch directly into miniature toads.^[1]

True toads are toothless and generally warty in appearance. They have a pair of parotoid glands 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 Bufo marinus, are more toxic than others. Some "psychoactive toads", such as the Colorado River toad Bufo alvaris, have been used recreationally for the effects of their 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.^[2]

Taxonomy

The family Bufonidae contains about 500 species among 37 genera.

Genus Latin name and author	Common name	Species
Adenomus Cope, 1861	Dwarf toads	3
Altiphrynoides Dubois, 1987	Ethiopian toads	2
Amietophrynus Frost et al., 2006		38
Anaxyrus		22
Andinophryne Hoogmoed, 1985	Andes toads	3
Ansonia Stoliczka, 1870	Stream toads	25
Atelopus Duméril & Bibron, 1841	Stubfoot toads	82
Bufo Laurenti, 1768	Toads	37
Bufoides Pillai & Yazdani, 1973	Mawblang toad	1
Capensibufo Grandison, 1980	Cape toads	2
Churamiti Channing & Stanley, 2002		1
Crepidophryne Cope, 1889	Cerro Utyum toads	3
Dendrophryniscus Jiménez de la Espada, 1871	Tree toads	7
Didynamipus Andersson, 1903	Four-digit toad	1
Duttaphrynus Frost et al., 2006		6
Epidalea Cope, 1864	Natterjack toad	1
Frostius Cannatella, 1986	Frost's toads	2
Ingerophrynus Frost et al., 2006		11
Laurentophryne Tihen, 1960	Parker's tree toad	1
Leptophryne Fitzinger, 1843	Indonesia tree toads	2
Melanophryniscus Gallardo, 1961	South American redbelly toads	20
Mertensophryne Tihen, 1960	Snouted frogs	20
Metaphryniscus Señaris, Ayarzagüena & Gorzula, 1994		1
Nectophryne Buchholz & Peters, 1875	African tree toads	2
Nectophrynoides Noble, 1926	African live-bearing toads	13
Nimbaphrynoides Dubois, 1987	Nimba toads	2
Oreophrynella Boulenger, 1895	Bush toads	8
Osornophryne Ruiz-Carranza & Hernández-Camacho, 1976	Plump toads	6
Parapelophryne Fei, Ye & Jiang, 2003		1
Pedostibes Günther, 1876	Asian tree toads	6
Pelophryne Barbour, 1938	Flathead toads	9
Pseudepidalea Frost, et al. 2006		16
Pseudobufo Tschudi, 1838	False toad	1
Rhinella Fitzinger, 1826	Beaked toads	72
Schismaderma Smith, 1849	African split-skin toad	1
Truebella Graybeal & Cannatella, 1995		2
Werneria Poche, 1903	Smalltongue toads	6
Wolterstorffina Mertens, 1939	Wolterstorff toads	3
Xanthophryne Biju, Van Bocxlaer, Giri, Loader & Bossuyt, 2009		2

References

1. Zweifel, Richard G. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G., ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 91–92. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
2. Brown, Federico D., Eugenia M. Del Pino, and Georg Krohne. "Bidder's organ in the toad Bufo marinus: Effects of orchidectomy on the morphology and expression of lamina-associated polypeptide 2." Development, Growth & Differentiation. Wiley Online Library. Volume 44, Issue 6, pages 527–535, December 2002.

• "Amphibian Species of the World 5.1 - Bufonidae". Retrieved 2008-04-10.
• Stebbins, Robert. Western Reptiles & Amphibians (3rd ed.). Houghton Mifflin Co., 2003.
• Halliday, Tim R., and Kraig Adler (editors). The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles & Amphibians. Facts on File, New York, 2002.

External links

• Tolweb.org: Bufonidae
• Bufonidae.com
• Amphibian and Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia - Family Bufonidae
• FED.us
• Bufonidae recordings from the British Library Sound Archive