American spadefoot toad

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American spadefoot toad
Temporal range: Paleocene to recent, 58.7–0  Ma
Spea hammondii 1.jpg
Western spadefoot toad ( Spea hammondii )
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Suborder: Mesobatrachia
Family: Scaphiopodidae
Cope, 1865
Genera

Scaphiopus
Spea
† Prospea

SCAPHIOPODIDAE range.PNG
Distribution of Scaphiopodidae (in black)
Southern spadefoot toad, Florida-adult Southern Spadefoot toad, florida.jpg
Southern spadefoot toad, Florida-adult

The Scaphiopodidae are a family of American spadefoot toads, which are native to North America. The family is small, comprising only seven different species.

Contents

The American spadefoot toads are of typical shape to most fossorial (or burrowing) frogs. They are round, with short legs and protruding eyes. As suggested by their name, these frogs have hard, keratinous protrusions present on their feet, which help them to dig. Like most fossorial frogs, they dig backwards into the ground. [1] They differ from true toads because they have vertical pupils and no parotoid gland. [2]

The American spadefoot toads are terrestrial when not underground. They are dully colored, usually a grey or dull green or brown, to aid in camouflage in their arid habitats.

Taxonomy

The American spadefoot toads were previously included in a broader circumscription of the family Pelobatidae, which then united Palaearctic and Neoarctic spadefoot toads in the same family. However, the American spadefoot genera were split off into Scaphiopodidae, with the Pelobatidae restricted to the European spadefoot toads in the genus Pelobates . [3] [4] [5]

The Scaphiopodidae contains two genera, both in North America: [5]

Despite the common name and current distribution of the family, fossil evidence indicates that it once had a much larger distribution that at least reached eastern Asia. The extinct genus † Prospea is the earliest known member of this family, and is only known from Paleocene sediments in Mongolia. [6]

Appearance

Similar to other burrowing frogs, American spadefoot toads are about 2-3 inches in length with round, stocky bodies and eyes that bulge from their heads. The name "spadefoot" is derived from the keratinous bone in its hind legs that allow it to burrow within soil. The skin of the toad is grey or brown in appearance and smooth to the touch.

Location and environment

Spadefoot toads are generally found in arid climates, where they spend the majority of their lives underground, generally beneath perennial ponds, creek beds, or other moisture-retaining areas. During years of sufficient rainfall, the toads surface to breed and lay eggs.

Spadefoot toads stay hidden underground in a low energy state, and are awakened by low frequency sounds of thunder. [7] > They then dig their way to the surface. After a thunderstorm, a previously silent dry area may start to sound like a marshy swamp, as the toads quickly seek mates in the short time available before desert puddles dry up. Tadpoles rapidly mature into toads and must bury themselves before desert conditions revert to normal.

The species of spadefoot toads are found in different locations across North America. The eastern spadefoot is the only species found east of the Mississippi River, ranging from New England to southern Florida. The Great Basin spadefoot and the plains spadefoot are both found in Western Canada and the northwestern U.S., but the plains spadefoot has also spread into Texas and northern Mexico. Couch's spadefoot, Hurter's spadefoot, and the New Mexico spadefoot are all spread across the Southern and Southwestern U.S., with Couch's and Hurter's also reaching into Mexico. The western spadefoot is found in California, mainly southern parts of the state and extending into Baja California, Mexico.

The toads are believed to have moved into North America from South American countries due to a changing climate. They most likely moved into the U.S. as a single species, but split up as they spread across the continent and adapted to their new surroundings. The toads prefer marsh-like environments, but only enter the water to breed. They stay buried in the soil for most of the year as a mechanism to deal with changing weather. [8]

Diet

American spadefoot toads have a unique diet. The adults' and tadpoles' diets vary. The adults' diet consists of invertebrates. [9] They eat flies, crickets, caterpillars, moths, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, earthworms, and snails. [10] The tadpoles' diet is related to its surroundings and food supply. When they are first hatched, they eat plankton. [10] After a few days, they become carnivorous and eat animals. [10] Tadpoles sometimes resort to cannibalism to survive. After multiple experiments, Paul Székely, Marian Tudor, and Dan Cogalniceanu concluded that tadpole development is influenced by hydroperiod, or the period in which an area is full of water.[ citation needed ] Since American spadefoot toads breed in shallow waters, they are under "constant stress from drying waters, increasing temperatures, reduced food densities, and crowding". [9] This stress, or simply a lack of adequate food, can increase the likelihood of cannibalism. [9] If they do resort to cannibalism, their bodies can transform. They "develop larger heads, sharp beaks, stronger jaw muscles, and shortened intestine". [9] Researchers have concluded that this is an adaptive trait because it accelerates the rate of growth of the tadpoles by allowing for an increased caloric intake. [9]

Conservation efforts

The eastern spadefoot was placed on the endangered list of Pennsylvania in 2005 [11] (though also endangered in: Ohio, Connecticut, and Rhode Island [12] ), when living populations were only found in two of their known locations. One possibility for their low population size could be that breeding pools and ponds "often dry up before the tadpoles get to complete metamorphosis"(Naish, 2015 [13] )

So far, conservation efforts have affected the prevention of the species habitat loss. In 2012, a couple learned that 32 acres of a property they planned to subdivide and break ground on could potentially be spadefoot habitat. So as per a species action plan put forth by Berks County conservancy and its partners, the couple would now need to seek state approval, and "hire someone familiar with the eastern spadefoot toad to survey the tract for signs of its habitat". [14] The Natural Diversity Section of the State of Pennsylvania published a 2011 species action plan [15] for the Eastern Spadefoot toad. This plan identifies the following counties for populations: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Centre, Cumberland, Franklin, Lehigh, Northampton, Northumberland, Union, and York.

As per conservation efforts, the awareness of citizens to the endangerment of spadefoot toads in their regions has been a success.

In 2004, the western spadefoot toad was the only member of the family Scaphiopodidae to be classified as near threatened by the ICUN Red List. [16] All other species, including the eastern spadefoot, were listed as least concern. Presently, all species' conservation status require reviewing.

Species

NameBiological nameDescriptionImages
Couch's spadefoot toad Scaphiopus couchii Couch's spadefoot toads are found in the southwestern regions of the United States and some regions of Mexico. They stay buried in the soil for 8–10 months a year and eat enough in one meal to last them a whole year. Couch's spadefoot toads' tadpoles transform into frogs in 7–8 days [17]
Scaphiopus couchii Stolz.jpg
Eastern spadefoot toad Scaphiopus holbrookii Eastern spadefoot toads are found all along the East Coast of United States, from southern New England to Florida. They are mostly found in areas with marshes and mixed hardwood swamps. They can grow up to 3 inches long. [17]
Eastern spadefoot toad frog.jpg
Great Basin spadefoot toad Spea intermontana The Great Basin spadefoot toad is found in the area spanning from south-central British Columbia, Canada to Northwestern states of the United States, such as Wyoming, Oregon, and California. Most of the Great Basin spadefoot toads are nocturnal and their diet includes invertebrates such as ants. [17]
Hurter's spadefoot toad Scaphiopus hurterii Hurter's spadefoot toads are found in the Southern U.S states of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. These toads were once thought to be a subspecies of the eastern spadefoot toad. [17]
New Mexico spadefoot toad Spea multiplicata The New Mexico spadefoot toad is found in Mexico and the U.S. states of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. It grows up to 2.5 inches in length. [17]
Plains spadefoot toad Spea bombifrons The plains spadefoot toad is found in the southern prairie provinces of Canada, central states of the United States, and northern parts of Mexico. They can grow up to 2 inches in length. They can be found in the areas with sand or gravel in soils near temporary bodies of water. [17]
Western spadefoot toad Spea hammondii The western spadefoot toad can be found only in California and Baja California, Mexico. Unlike other toads, the western spadefoot only enters the water to breed. [17]
PelobatesFuscus.jpg

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frog</span> Order of amphibians

A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura. The oldest fossil "proto-frog" Triadobatrachus is known from the Early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their split from other amphibians may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago. Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is in tropical rainforest. Frogs account for around 88% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders. Warty frog species tend to be called toads, but the distinction between frogs and toads is informal, not from taxonomy or evolutionary history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toad</span> Common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae

Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tadpole</span> Larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian

A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found in adult amphibians such as a lateral line, gills and swimming tails. As they undergo metamorphosis, they start to develop functional lungs for breathing air, and the diet of tadpoles changes drastically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesobatrachia</span> Order of amphibians

The Mesobatrachia is a paraphyletic group of relatively primitive frogs. At the end of 2016, it contained 3 superfamilies, 6 families, 16 genera, and 244 species. Recognized as a group in 1993, the name is contrasted with the primitive Archaeobatrachia and the more diverse and advanced Neobatrachia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European spadefoot toad</span> Family of amphibians

The European spadefoot toads are a family of frogs, the Pelobatidae, with only one extant genus Pelobates, containing six species. They are native to Europe, the Mediterranean, northwestern Africa, and western Asia.

<i>Spea hammondii</i> Species of amphibian

Spea hammondii, also known as the western spadefoot, western spadefoot toad, Hammond's spadefoot, or Hammond's spadefoot toad, is a species of amphibian in the family Scaphiopodidae. It is found in western California (USA) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico). The specific name hammondii is in honor of physician and naturalist William Alexander Hammond.

<i>Scaphiopus</i> Genus of amphibians

Scaphiopus is a genus of North American amphibian commonly referred to as the North American spadefoots, southern spadefoots, or eastern spadefoot toads. They differ greatly from true toads by having eyes with vertical pupils, no parotoid gland, and relatively smooth skin. Their most distinctive feature is a spade-like projection on their hind feet, from which their common name is derived. This projection enables spadefoot toads to dig in loose soils with ease. Its scientific name means ‘spade-foot’ as well, from the Ancient Greek skaphís and pous.

<i>Spea</i> Genus of amphibians

Spea is a genus of North American amphibian commonly referred to as the western spadefoot toads. They differ greatly from true toads by having eyes with vertical pupils, no parotoid glands, and relatively smooth skin. Their most distinctive feature is a spade-like projection on their hind feet, from which their common name is derived. This projection enables spadefoot toads to dig in loose soils with ease. Its name is from the Ancient Greek speos

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas toad</span> Species of amphibian

The Texas toad is a species of medium-sized toad that occurs in the southern United States and northern Mexico. It breeds in temporary water pools after heavy rains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Couch's spadefoot toad</span> Species of amphibian

Couch's spadefoot toad or Couch's spadefoot is a species of North American spadefoot toad. The specific epithet couchii is in honor of American naturalist Darius Nash Couch, who collected the first specimen while on a personal expedition to northern Mexico to collect plant, mineral, and animal specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurter's spadefoot toad</span> Species of amphibian

Hurter's spadefoot toad or Hurter's spadefoot is a species of American spadefoot toad found in the south central United States ; its range might extend to the adjacent northern Mexico. It was once classified as a subspecies of the eastern spadefoot toad, but it has been granted its own species status. The specific name hurterii is in honor of the Swiss-American naturalist and curator of the St. Louis Academy of Sciences, Julius Hurter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains spadefoot toad</span> Species of amphibian

The plains spadefoot toad is a species of American spadefoot toad which ranges from southwestern Canada, throughout the Great Plains of the western United States, and into northern Mexico. Like other species of spadefoot toads, they get their name from a spade-like projection on their hind legs which allows them to dig into sandy soils. Their name, in part, comes from their keratinized metatarsals, which are wide instead of "sickle shaped". The species name translates as buzzing leaf shaped. This refers to the species' distinguishing features; its buzzing mating call, and its leaf-shaped digging metatarsals. It was first described by Cope in 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Mexico spadefoot toad</span> Species of amphibian

The New Mexico spadefoot toad is a species of American spadefoot toad found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Like other species of spadefoot toad, they get their name from a distinctive spade-like projections on their hind legs, which enable them to dig in sandy soils. Spea multiplicata can be identified by its wedge-shaped spade. Some sources also refer to the species as the Mexican spadefoot toad, desert spadefoot toad or southern spadefoot toad.

<i>Scaphiopus holbrookii</i> Species of amphibian

Scaphiopus holbrookii, commonly known as the eastern spadefoot, is a species of American spadefoot toad endemic to the eastern United States. It is not considered a true toad.

Pelobates varaldii, the Moroccan spadefoot toad, Moroccan spadefoot, or Varaldi's spadefoot toad, is a species of frog in the family Pelobatidae. As currently known, it is endemic to the coastal north-western Morocco, although there is an unconfirmed record from the Spanish territory of Melilla that could possibly represent this species. The specific name varaldii honours Marcel Varaldi who collected amphibians and reptiles in Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Basin spadefoot</span> Species of amphibian

The Great Basin spadefoot is an amphibian in the family Scaphiopodidae. It is 3.8 to 6.3 centimetres long and is usually colored gray, olive or brown. Great Basin spadefoot toads have adapted to life in dry habitats. They use the hard, keratinized spade on each foot to dig a burrow, where they spend long periods during cold and dry weather. They are opportunistic hunters and will eat anything they can subdue. While their tadpoles have numerous predators, adults are able to produce skin secretions that deter enemies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelobatoidea</span> Superfamily of amphibians

The Pelobatoidea are a superfamily of frogs. They typically combine a toad-like body shape with a frog-like, pointed face. Phylogenetically they stand between primitive frogs on the one side and higher frogs on the other and are therefore – among other things by characteristics of bone construction – in the suborder Mesobatrachia.

<i>Pelobates syriacus</i> Species of amphibian

Pelobates syriacus, the eastern spadefoot or Syrian spadefoot, is a species of toad in the family Pelobatidae, native to an area extending from Eastern Europe to Western Asia.

References

  1. ↑ "Scaphiopodidae (Cope, 1865) American Spadefoot Toads". Archived from the original on 2006-08-30. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
  2. ↑ "Idaho Fish and Game" (PDF). idfg.idaho.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  3. ↑ "Amphibian Species of the World - Pelobatidae Bonaparte, 1850". Archived from the original on 15 April 2006. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
  4. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. "Pelobatidae Bonaparte, 1850". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  5. 1 2 Frost, Darrel R. "Scaphiopodidae Cope, 1865". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  6. ↑ "Fossilworks: Scaphiopodidae". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum". Couch’s spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchi). Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  8. ↑ Bragg, Arthur N. (1945-01-01). "The Spadefoot Toads in Oklahoma with a Summary of Our Knowledge of the Group. II". The American Naturalist. 79 (780): 52–72. doi:10.1086/281236. JSTOR   2457924. S2CID   222323915.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "What do Spadefoot toads eat?What do animals eat? - Find out here". What do animals eat? - Find out here. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  10. 1 2 3 "DEEP: Eastern Spadefoot Toad Fact Sheet". www.ct.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  11. ↑ Wayne, L. "Eastern spadefoot toad on endangered list" . Retrieved 29 Oct 2015.
  12. ↑ "Species Action plan: Eastern Spadefoot" (PDF). Pennsylvania Fish and boat Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-12. Retrieved 29 Oct 2015.
  13. ↑ Naish, D. "North American spadefoot toads and their incredible fast-metamorphosing, polymorphic tadpoles". Scientific American. Retrieved 29 Oct 2015.
  14. ↑ Cress, Joseph (13 October 2012). "Toad puts wrench in South Middleton Township subdivision plan". The Sentinel.
  15. ↑ "Species Action Plan, June 2011, Natural Diversity Section of Pennsylvania Govt" (PDF). amphibians.org. June 2011.
  16. ↑ Santos-Barrera, Georgina; Hammerson, Geoffrey; Morey, Steven (2004). "Spea hammondii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004: e.T59045A11874606. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59045A11874606.en . Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Scaphiopodidae - American spadefoot toads | Wildlife Journal Junior". nhptv.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-10-29.

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