Mongolian toad

The Mongolian toad (Strauchbufo raddei), also known commonly as the piebald toad or the Siberian sand toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. The species is endemic to northeastern Asia. It was formerly placed in the genus Bufo, then for a few years in Pseudepidalea until finally moved to its own genus Strauchbufo.[2]

Mongolian toad

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
Genus: Strauchbufo
Species:
S. raddei
Binomial name
Strauchbufo raddei
(Strauch, 1876)
Synonyms[2]
  • Bufo raddei
    Strauch, 1876
  • Pseudepidalea raddei
    — Frost et al., 2006
  • Strauchophryne raddei
    — Borkin & Litvinchuk, 2013
  • Strauchibufo raddei
    —Fe & Yei, 2016

Etymology

The specific name, raddei, is in honor of German naturalist Gustav Radde.[3]

Geographic range

S. raddei ranges through much of northern China, Mongolia, and the Russian Far East, and is also found in North Korea.[1] It is particularly common in the Amur River basin of China and Russia.

Description

The Mongolian toad is relatively small, with adults not exceeding a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 9 cm (3.5 in).

Habitat

S. raddei ranges through a wide range of habitats and is often found in dry regions, preferring sandy soil. It was first described based on specimens from the Alashan desert. The species does not occur above 2,700 m (8,900 ft), nor below 600 m (2,000 ft). The northernmost population is found on Olkhon Island in Russia's Lake Baikal.

Reproduction

The mating season of S. raddei occurs between March and July, depending on the local climate. Eggs are typically laid in shallow puddles, leading to the death of many tadpoles as the puddles dry up. The Mongolian toad hibernates in the ground, usually in groups, in holes up to 2 m (6.6 ft) deep.

Diet

When adult, the Mongolian toad favours ants as food, particularly in arid regions. It also eats spiders and beetles.

Taxonomy

The Mongolian toad was classified as Bufo raddei prior to the 2006 definition of the genus Pseudepidalea.[4] In 2010, it was shown that Pseudepidalea is a junior synonym of Bufotes.[5] The divergent Mongolian toad was moved to its own genus Strauchbufo in 2012.[2]

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References
  1. Kuzmin, Sergius; Matsui, Masafumi; Gang, Liang; Maslova, Irina (2004). "Strauchbufo raddei ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T54744A11198066. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T54744A11198066.en.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2020). "Search for Taxon: Strauchbufo". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  3. Beolens,Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing Ltd. xiii + 262 pp. ISBN 978-1-907807-41-1. (Pseudepidalea raddei, p. 175).
  4. Frost DR, Grant T, Faivovich JN, Bain RH, Haas A, Haddad CLFB, De Sá RO, Channing A, Wilkinson M, Donnellan SC, Raxworthy CJ, Campbell JA, Blotto BL, Moler P, Drewes RC, Nussbaum RA, Lynch JD, Green DM, Wheeler WC (2006). "The Amphibian Tree of Life". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 297: 1–291. doi:10.1206/0003-0090(2006)297[0001:TATOL]2.0.CO;2. hdl:2246/5781.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) (Pseudepidalea raddei, new combination).
  5. Dubois, A.; R. Bour (2010). "The nomenclatural status of the nomina of amphibians and reptiles created by Garsault (1764), with a parsimonious solution to an old nomenclatural problem regarding the genus Bufo (Amphibia, Anura), comments on the taxonomy of this genus, and comments on some nomina created by Laurenti (1768)". Zootaxa. 2447: 1–52. doi:10.5281/zenodo.195113.
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