Talk:Scaphiopus holbrookii

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There is a contradiction between the 3rd para of the behavior section and the reproduction section on whether this species exhibits cannibal tadpole morphs. I believe the behavior section is correct, and the nat geo article cited is referring to spadefoots in general in which some species have marked cannibal tadpole morphs (as do some other species of frogs), but in contrast to Scaphiopus holbrookii. I'll make a small edit to reflect this if there are no objections. (edited for clarity) Xarzin (talk) 06:12, 8 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

There appears to be a lack of a clear temperature range that is recommended for the Scaphiopus holbrookii. I am no expert on toads to any degree, so if there is some sort of consistent temperature range and Ph range for the kind of species or family the Scaphiopus holbrookii is in, please let me know. 98.52.218.247 (talk) 22:17, 5 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Hello- I saw your post referred it someone who works with these and other amphibians. Got a rather thorough response. Below in the quote box is the text of his response, with the sources he mentions linked at the bottom of this section. Note that his reference to "ideal" comes from my hasty use of that word in my e-mail to him. If you have a Wikipedia account, you can access the JSTOR articles via that; see here: WP Library. I can't tell if the herpetology journal is available via that.

I guess that might depend on what “ideal” pertains to! Ideal for breeding? Feeding? Overwintering? Tadpole development? I’m not sure there are published accounts of “ideal” for all of those, but Ryan et al. (2015) discusses mean air temperatures (21–26 degrees C, or 70–79 degrees F) for nights that spadefoots emerged (presumably to feed) at a site in CT.^[1] At a site in Florida, Pearson (1955) noted that most surface activity was associated with temps between 50 and 90 degrees F (see pg. 239, paragraph 2 . . . but also Fig. 3 on the same page, which suggests peak activity at temps in the mid-60s to mid-70s F). Pearson (1955) also discusses temperature and breeding a little bit (see pg. 254), but not in a way that is very helpful to the question of ideal (or even minimum) temperature.^[2]

Gosner and Black (1955) discuss environmental factors influencing spadefoot reproduction in NJ (and in the lab).^[3]

I think some answers are going to vary across the range of the species and be based largely on anecdotal observations. For example, it stands to reason that overwintering individuals want to be at soil depths that are deep enough to avoid freezing temperatures, but the animals will want to be cold enough that their metabolisms slow/shut down so that they can avoid a need to eat. But what would be the ideal temperature for that? I don’t know. (And, of course, this really only concerns populations at the more northern latitudes, as southern populations remain active year-round.)

Lastly, I might just recommend avoiding an attempt to frame the discussion in terms of “ideal”. Ranges and averages are much better, especially given that the role of temperature in regulating/promoting certain spadefoot activities can vary based on the influences of other variables (e.g., humidity).

Probably more than you were looking for, but hope it helps. Eric ^talk 18:34, 6 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]