Bufo woodhousii woodhousii identification help

[SludgeMunkey]

Hello folks!

Any of you experts have an opinion on this one?

I feel this is a Woodhouse's Toad, but I am not sure. It was collected in the only area of Nebraska to have B. americanus, B. woodhousii, and B. cognatus simultaneously. I am sure it is NOT cognatus, but could it be americanus? Possibly a hybrid? I am having real trouble getting a definate identification on my end.



Sorry for the small pictures/ broken links...I exceeded my Flikr bandwidth and am stuck using this clunky Photobucket interface instead.

 

[Coastal Groovin]

Looking at the black markings along her back and seeing the 2-3 little red dots within each one it looks very much like the B. w. fowleri that I have kept off and on for thirty years. As soon as I saw it I though woodhousei. Hybrid is never out of the question though as it is fairly comman to see this between B. w.fowleri and B. americanus here in PA. B.w flowleri numbers here are dropping very fast here and I wonder how much that has hurt their populations. I have never found them anywhere except in Philadelphia and Bucks county PA. Once again as soon as I saw your pics I thought woodhousi species or subspecies.

 

[Socrates]

Do u have a photo of the ventral side of this toad? Does it have a dark throat and/or black spots on its underside? American toads have black blotches on the ventral side (usually) and for the fowler's toad and woodhouse they tend to be a plain cream color. Also the paratoid glands of americanus are separate from the cranial crests. It doesn't really look luke cognatus because of the patern on the back. I would have to say it's a Woodhouse by the looks of it, possibly B. Fowleri, but I can't remember off the top of my head if that species exists in that area. Pretty toad though.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I had thought fowleri for a bit also, however as best as I can tell there are not any anywhere near Nebraska. (It sure would be neat if it was a fowleri...)

This is what I get for "speed herping" on my lunch breaks at work. My recent B. cognatus specimens (pics in gallery) were collected in the exact same spot. (And we are talking within inches here!) It appears that there is some hybridization may be going on here, given the nature of the location.

After speaking with and showing the pictures of the cognatus to a local herpetologist with more experience than I, he suggested hybridization of the cognatus with woodhousii.

Then not a week later, this speciman shows up.

 

[Socrates]

That's very interesting and totally seems plausible. Very cool.

 

[Coastal Groovin]

The more I look at those pics and then other pictures online and in some books I don't see why it jusat can't be a woodhousi. What would suggest that it is a hybrid? The markings on the back are classic woodhousi. Does it have the sharp edged tubercle on each hind foot that cognatus is known for?

 

[SludgeMunkey]

The more I look at those pics and then other pictures online and in some books I don't see why it jusat can't be a woodhousi. What would suggest that it is a hybrid? The markings on the back are classic woodhousi. Does it have the sharp edged tubercle on each hind foot that cognatus is known for?

Yes, it does Bill, one singular spade on each foot. You can see the light colored tubercle just above it, that led to the conversation about possible hybridization.



The cognatus specimens from the same area have the typical main spade with a smaller spade right next to it.


Either way, I am excited to find something other than cognatus, garter snakes and frogs...LOL Frogs and toads have never been my strong point, but when you live in a very nearly caudate free area, you take what you can get.

 

[Coastal Groovin]

Very cool. Its nice seeing where habitat is mixed enough to support three different species of toad that prefer slightly different habitats. I would suspect hybridization is one a natures ways to form new species and subspecies. Over time as habitat changes and become isolated these hybrids might have a leg up on other toads. Nice to see evolution at work. Now if it would only work faster with some of the humans I come in contact with

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Now if it would only work faster with some of the humans I come in contact with

I agree with you on this one!



It is an interesting spot. One side is the Missouri river, one side is the city, one side the river bluff and the other municipal water plant. It is very secluded, yet in the city. I suspect its low elevation in respect to the surrounding area gives it that "Lost World" effect. There is also a large pond, and numerous vernal pools. The good news is my company, the railroad, and the city own all of it, and since it is floodplain, it is pretty much useless for further development.

When I first noticed the cognatus last year, I had never seen one before. Had to go look them up. I have heard calls of all three at night. Interestingly enough, the male cognatus I found here did not have the normal trilling call, he sounded more like an americanus. In additon to the three toads, there is at least four five species of frog: Chours, Cricket, Both Leopards, and Gray's Treefrog. Oddly enough, I have yet to see or hear any bullfrogs there.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

Do u have a photo of the ventral side of this toad? Does it have a dark throat and/or black spots on its underside? American toads have black blotches on the ventral side (usually) and for the fowler's toad and woodhouse they tend to be a plain cream color. Also the paratoid glands of americanus are separate from the cranial crests. It doesn't really look luke cognatus because of the patern on the back. I would have to say it's a Woodhouse by the looks of it, possibly B. Fowleri, but I can't remember off the top of my head if that species exists in that area. Pretty toad though.

I didn't bother with a ventral photo, as the entire side was even, creamy white. Not a single spot or speckle of any color but white. From reading on them, it appears there is quite a bit of variation in the species, and it appears the taxonomy has been in question quite a bit.

 

[John]

Just a lightly coloured Bufo woodhousii.