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 | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Bufonidae |
| Genus: | Strauchbufo Fei, Ye & Jiang, 2012 |
| Species: | S. raddei
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| Binomial name | |
| Strauchbufo raddei (Strauch, 1876)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Etymology
editThe specific name, raddei, is in honor of German naturalist Gustav Radde.[3]
Geographic range
editS. 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
editThe Mongolian toad is relatively small, with adults not exceeding a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 9 cm (3.5 in).
Habitat
editS. 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.
Mongolian toads are among the few amphibians known to venture into salt water.[4]
Reproduction
editThe 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
editWhen adult, the Mongolian toad favours ants as food, particularly in arid regions. It also eats spiders and beetles.
Taxonomy
editThe Mongolian toad was classified as Bufo raddei prior to the 2006 definition of the genus Pseudepidalea.[5] In 2010, it was shown that Pseudepidalea is a junior synonym of Bufotes.[6] The divergent Mongolian toad was moved to its own genus Strauchbufo in 2012.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Sergius Kuzmin; Masafumi Matsui; Liang Gang; Irina Maslova (2004). "Strauchbufo raddei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T54744A11198066. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T54744A11198066.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ 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).
- ^ Hopkins, G. R., & Brodie, E. D. (2015). Occurrence of Amphibians in Saline Habitats: A Review and Evolutionary Perspective. Herpetological Monographs, 29(1), 1–27. doi:10.1655/herpmonographs-d-14-00006
- ^ Frost DR, Grant T [in French], Faivovich JN [in French], Bain RH [in French], Haas A [in German], Haddad CL [in French], De Sá RO, Channing A [in French], Wilkinson M [in French], Donnellan SC, Raxworthy CJ [in French], Campbell JA, Blotto BL, Moler P, Drewes RC, Nussbaum RA, Lynch JD [in French], 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. S2CID 86140137. (Pseudepidalea raddei, new combination).
- ^ 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.
External links
edit- "Pseudepidalea raddei ". Amphibian Species of the World 5.0. Retrieved 2007-06-07.