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Bufo americanus

(American Toad, Dwarf American Toad, Eastern American Toad)

Conservation Status

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Population Analysis

  • For the 10,921 species in the Class Amphibia (Amphibians), we average 11.19 observations each in our database; for the Eastern American Toad, we have 1,269 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is extremely common.
  • A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the Eastern American Toad is the same as the trend in observations of Amphibia. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is no, changes in observation rate of this species significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class. (t=16.842, p<0.001)
  • How do observation rates of the Eastern American Toad differ from those of Amphibia? To answer this, we examined the percentage of observerations for Amphibia that were observations of the Eastern American Toad each year. We then correlated this percentage with observation year. If observations of the Eastern American Toad are becoming more common relative to other species of Amphibia, the correlation should be positive, but if it is becoming less common, the correlation should be negative. In fact, the correlation is negative (r=-.38), with a negative slope (m = -.055), suggesting that the Eastern American Toad may be in decline relative to other species of Amphibia. This correlation is statistically significant. (F = 86.13, p<.05)
  • The scatter chart to the right shows the percentage of all observations for Amphibia each year that were observations of the Eastern American Toad.

Taxonomy

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  • Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
    • Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
      • Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
        • Branch: Deuterostomia Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
          • Infrakingdom: Chordonia (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
            • Phylum: Chordata Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
              • Subphylum: Vertebrata Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
                • Infraphylum: Gnathostomata auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
                  • Superclass: Tetrapoda Goodrich, 1930 - Tetrapods
                    • Class: Amphibia (am-FIB-ee-uh) C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Amphibians
                      • Subclass: Lissamphibia Haeckel, 1866
                        • Order: Anura (Fischer von Waldheim, 1813) Gray, 1825 - Frogs, Toads
                          • Suborder: Neobatrachia Reig, 1958
                            • Superfamily: Bufonoidea
                              • Family: Bufonidae Gray, 1825 - Bufonids, Toads
                                • Subfamily: Aphidinae
                                  • Genus: Bufo Laurenti, 1768 - Toads
                                    • Specific name: americanus Holbrook, 1836
                                      • Scientific name: Bufo americanus Holbrook, 1836

Unambiguous Synonyms:

  1. Bufo terrestris subsp. americanus Holbrook, 1836
  2. Bufo terrestris subsp. copei Yarrow and Henshaw, 1878

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 29-Aug-2005

Physical Description

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Images:

Distribution

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Range and Population

North America

Song/Voice

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Bufo americanus

Similar Species

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Common in the piedmont and mountain regions of NC, this species is very similar to Fowler's Toad. American Toads are distinguished from Fowler's Toads by a couple of ways: 1. Generally, Americans have only one or two large warts in the big black blotches on the back, whereas Fowler's have 3 or more. 2. In Americans, the parotoid gland (long oval bump behind the eye) does not touch or just barely touches the ridge behind the eye, sometimes connected by a spur. (In Fowler's they touch for a significant length.) Even after looking at these characters, they can be an ID challenge!

Members of the genus Bufo:

There are approximately 598 species and subspecies in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: B. abatus · B. achalensis · B. achavali · B. acutirostris · B. agua · B. ailaoanus · B. alatus · B. albicans · B. albifrons · B. alvarius (Colorado River Toad) · B. amabilis · B. amatolica · B. amatolicus (Amatola Toad) · B. ambicannus charelssmithi · B. amboroensis (Cochabamba Toad) · B. americana · B. americanus (American Toad) · B. americanus americanus (American Toad) · B. americanus charelssmithi · B. americanus charlesmithi (Dwarf American Toad) · B. americanus copei · B. americanus hemiophrys (Canadian Toad) · B. americanus x · B. americanus; · B. amieti · B. andersoni · B. andersonii · B. anderssoni · B. andrewsi · B. angusticeps · B. anotis · B. arabicus · B. arborescandens · B. arenarum · B. arenarum arenarum · B. arenarum mendocinus · B. arenarun · B. arequipensis · B. arunco · B. asmarae · B. asper (Giant Indonesian Toad) · B. aspinius · B. atacamensis · B. atukoralei (Atukorale's Dwarf Toad) · B. aucoinae · B. azarae · B. azarai · B. balliceps · B. bankorensis · B. baukorensis · B. baxteri (Wyoming Toad) · B. beddomii · B. beebei · B. beiranus · B. berghei · B. bergi · B. biporcatus (Philippine Toad) · B. biporcatus biporcatus · B. biporcatus cavator · B. biporcatus divergens · B. biporcatus philippinicus · B. bisidanae · B. blanfordi · B. blanfordii · B. blombergi · B. bloombergi · B. bocourti · B. bocourtii · B. boieas · B. boras halophilus · B. boreas (Boreal Toad) · B. boreas boreas (Boreal Toad) · B. boreas halophilus (California Toad) · B. boreas lalophilus · B. brauni · B. brevipalmata · B. brevirostris · B. brongersmai · B. buchneri · B. B. (Common Toad) · B. B. asiaticus · B. B. bankorensis · B. B. B. · B. B. formosus · B. B. gargarizans · B. B. grediscola · B. B. gredosicola · B. B. hokkaidoensis · B. B. japanicus · B. B. praetextatus · B. B. sachalinensis · B. B. spinosus · B. B. wrighti · B. burmanus · B. burti · B. caeruleostictus · B. calamita (Natterjack Toad) · B. californicus (Arroyo Southwestern Toad) · B. camerunensis · B. camerunensis cameranensis

Members of the genus Carex:

There are approximately 5,223 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: C. aquatilis stans · C. aterrima medwedewii · C. atlantica capillacea (Howe Sedge) · C. atrata atratiformis · C. atratiformis raymondii · C. bigelowii altaica · C. bigelowii lugens · C. brownii brownii · C. brownii transversa · C. brunnea occidentalis · C. brunnescens alaskana · C. brunnescens brunnescens · C. buxbaumii mutica · C. canescens arctaeformis · C. canescens disjuncta · C. capillacea aomorensis · C. capillaris chlorostachys · C. capitata arctogena · C. capitata capitata · C. cilicica muglaica · C. cilicica muratica · C. complanata tropicalis · C. coriophora langtaodianensis · C. cruciata rubrobrunnea · C. curaica pycnostachys · C. dahurica chosenica · C. debilis pubera · C. decaulescens alsia · C. depressa basilaris · C. depressa transsilvanica · C. deweyana leptopoda · C. dispalata laxiflorens · C. dolichostachya trichosperma · C. duriuscula stenophylloides · C. elata mauritanica · C. elata reuteriana · C. ensifolia lugens · C. ensifolia soczavaeana · C. extensa viestina · C. filicina ceylanica · C. filiformis aematorhyncha · C. flacca erythrostachys · C. flava bergrothii · C. flava demissa · C. flava oedocarpa · C. flava pulchella · C. flava scotica · C. flava viridula · C. fulvorubescens longistipes · C. fusiformis finitima · C. garberi bifaria · C. gaudichaudiana appendiculata · C. gentilis nakaharae · C. glareosa glareosa · C. glareosa pribylovensis · C. glareosa soriofkensis · C. gracilis intermedia · C. hallerana rorulenta · C. halleriana planostachys · C. heleonastes neurochlaena · C. juncella wiluica · C. karoi selengensis · C. koshewnikowii chitralensis · C. lachenalii baetica · C. lachenalii parkeri · C. laeta gelongii · C. lasiocarpa americana · C. lasiocarpa lanuginosa · C. ledebouriana substepposa · C. ledebouriana transbaicalensis · C. lepidocarpa nevadensis · C. leptalea harperi · C. ligata formosensis · C. liparicarpos bordzilowskii · C. longii meridionalis · C. macloviana festivella · C. macloviana haydeniana · C. macloviana pachystachya · C. macloviana subfusca · C. macrocephala anthericoides · C. macroura kirilovii · C. mairii nevadensis · C. manca takasagoana · C. manca wichurae · C. maximowiczii suifunensis · C. mertensii urostachys · C. microglochin fuegina · C. mitrata aristata · C. muricata cephalantha · C. nardina hepburnii · C. nevadensis alpina · C. nigra broterana · C. nigra dacica · C. nigra drukyulensis · C. nigra iberica · C. nigra juncea · C. nigra turfosa · C. nigra wiluica · C. norvegica conicorostrata · C. norvegica pusterana

Bibliography

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  • Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
  • Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, and A. L. Gardner 1987. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada. Resource Publication, no. 166. United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, D.C., USA. 79.
  • Bradford, D. F. (1984). and quot;Temperature modulation in a high-elevation amphibian, Rana muscosa. and quot; Copeia, 1984(4), 966-976.
  • Flores-Villela, Oscar / McCoy, C. J., ed. 1993. Herpetofauna Mexicana: Lista anotada de las especies de anfibios y reptiles de M and eacute;xico, cambios taxon and oacute;micos recientes, y nuevas especies. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication, no. 17. Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. iv + 73. ISBN: 0-911239-42-1.
  • Francis R. Cook (1984). Introduction to Canadian Amphibians and Reptiles. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.
  • James A. Oliver (1955). The Natural History of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. D. Van Nostrand Campany, Ltd., Canada.
  • Karl P. Schmidt (1953). A Check list of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.
  • Tom R. Johnson (1987). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City.
  • Wright A. H. and A.A. Wright (1949). Handbook of frogs and toads of the United States and Canada. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA.

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors:

  • Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
  • Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 6, 2007.
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 05, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 13 providers.
  • Pippen, Jeffrey S. Jeff's Nature Page. Accessed December 8, 2007.

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 05, 2008:

  • Bird Studies Canada: Marsh Monitoring Program - Amphibians
  • Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
  • California Academy of Sciences: CAS Herpetology Collection Catalog
  • Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Amphibian and Reptile Collection - Anura
  • Carnegie Museums: Amphibians and Reptiles
  • Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates: Amphibians and Reptiles Collection
  • EMAN Provider: FrogWatch Canada
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
  • Marine Science Institute, UCSB: Paleobiology Database
  • Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
  • University of Alberta: University of Alberta Herpetology Collection
  • University of Minnesota Bell Museum of Natural History: Herp specimens
  • Yale University Peabody Museum: Peabody Herp Collection DiGIR provider Service

Identifiers:

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Last Revised: April 24, 2008