Far Eastern toad - Bufo gargarizans. Toad - description, species, where they live, what they eat, photo Photo of the Far Eastern toad
Belonging to the genus Toad. Lives in Asia. Previously considered a subspecies of the gray toad ( Bufo bufo)
Description
Taxonomy
IN Soviet times toads of the Russian Far East were considered a subspecies of the gray toad, and today they are considered a separate species, based on geographic isolation from other common toads, morphological, karyological and biochemical differences. There are 2 subspecies of the Far Eastern toad. The nominate subspecies occurs in Russia Bufo gargarizans gargarizans Cantor, 1842.
Appearance and structure
Very similar to the gray toad. It differs from it in its smaller size (body length 56-102 mm), the presence of spines on the outgrowths of the skin and a wide stripe running from the parotid gland to the side of the body, torn into large spots in the back. The eardrum is very small or covered with skin. The upperparts are dark grey, olive-gray or olive-brown with three wide longitudinal stripes. The underside of the body is yellowish or grayish, without a pattern or with small spots in the rear.
The signs of sexual dimorphism are the same as in the common toad. In addition, the male's back is often greenish or olive; Gray or brown spots on the back may be present. The female is larger than the male, her hind legs are relatively shorter and her head is slightly wider.
Distribution and habitat
Its range includes northeastern China, Korea and Russia. Range in Russia: Far East north to the Amur River valley. There the species is distributed from west to northeast from the mouth of the Zeya River to the mouth of the Amur in the Khabarovsk Territory. Inhabits Sakhalin and islands in the Gulf of Peter the Great: Russky, Popova, Putyatina, Skrebtsova and others. Also known from the Baikal region.
Far Eastern toad lives in forests various types(coniferous, mixed and deciduous), and also in meadows. Although she loves moist habitats, in shaded or waterlogged coniferous forests It is rare, but inhabits floodplains and river valleys. Can live in anthropogenic landscapes: in rural areas, as well as in parks and gardens big cities(such as Khabarovsk). Not found in mountain tundras.
Nutrition and lifestyle
Far Eastern toads eat mainly insects, preferring hymenoptera and beetles.
They winter from September-October to April-May. They can winter both on land in underground cavities, under logs and tree roots, and in reservoirs.
Reproduction
Far Eastern toads spawn in lakes, ponds, swamps, puddles, oxbow lakes, ditches and streams with standing or semi-flowing water. They breed in April-May, in some places until the end of June. Occasionally, vapors may form on the way to the pond. Amplexus axillary. Like gray toads, it occasionally happens among Far Eastern toads that several males try to mate with one female, forming a ball of toads. To release sexual products at the same time, the male and female stimulate each other with tactile and vibration signals. The eggs are deposited in cords that wrap around underwater objects (mostly plants) at depths of up to 30 cm.
Population status
The Far Eastern toad is a common and numerous species in the Far East of our country. In the Amur River valley, it ranks third in number among amphibians (after frogs Rana nigromaculata And Rana amurensis). After severe droughts and frosty winters, the population of Far Eastern toads drops sharply, but then recovers.
Far Eastern toad(Bufo gargarizans)
Class - amphibians
Squad - anurans
Family - toads
Genus - toads
Appearance
Body length 56-102 mm. very similar to the common toad ( Bufobufo); differs mainly in the presence of spines on the tubercles of the skin of the back and a wide stripe extending from the outer surface of the parotida to the side of the body. The eardrum is very small or covered with skin. The bumps on the skin of the back are large.
Above, dark gray, olive-gray or olive-brown with three wide longitudinal stripes. A wide dark stripe runs from the inner surface of the parotida to the side of the body. This stripe in the rear is torn into large spots. The belly is grayish or yellowish, without a pattern or with small spots in the rear. Sex differences are the same as in the common toad. In addition, the male's back is often greenish or olive; There may also be gray or brown spots on the back. The male is smaller than the female; the relative length of its hind legs is somewhat longer, and its head is somewhat narrower.
Habitat
It lives in northeastern China, Korea and Russia. In Russia, inhabits the Far East to the north to the river valley. Amur.
The Far Eastern toad inhabits forest zone. Within its boundaries, the species lives in coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests and on their edges, as well as in meadows. Although it prefers biotopes with high humidity, it is rare in shaded or waterlogged coniferous forests. At the same time, it is found in floodplains and river valleys. It does not avoid anthropogenic landscapes: it lives not only in rural areas, but also in parks and gardens of large cities (for example, Khabarovsk: Tagirova, 1984). Absent in mountain tundras. Population density is high.
Lifestyle
Active at dusk and at night, although rainy weather They are also found during the day, especially young individuals. Wintering from September - October to April - May. Cavities in the ground, between tree roots and under logs are used as land shelters. Toads also overwinter in rivers and lakes.
Adult toads eat mainly insects, especially beetles and hymenoptera. Their diet is dominated by slow-moving land animals, such as slugs.
Reproduction
Reproduction occurs in April - May in lakes, ponds, swamps, puddles, oxbow lakes, ditches and streams with standing or semi-flowing water, usually with dense herbaceous vegetation. Sometimes pairs form on the way to the breeding pond. The linear dimensions of an individual, coloration, pattern of movement and contrast with the surrounding background are important parameters for distant recognition of a female by a male. If the female is not ready to mate, she pushes the male away and twists her body to free herself; if the female is ready to mate, she does not try to free herself. Amplexus axillary. Like common toad, several males sometimes try to mate with one female, and balls of toads form. To synchronize the release of sperm and eggs, the mating male and female stimulate each other with tactile and vibration signals. Females spend less time in water bodies than males. Egg cords wrap around underwater plants and other objects at a depth of up to 30 cm.
The daily activity cycle of tadpoles is similar to that of other toad species. It is easier to assess it based on the daily dynamics of nutrition. The feeding intensity, assessed by the digestive tract filling index (the ratio of food weight to body weight without food), increases from morning to evening, when tadpoles accumulate in the warmed-up shallow water of the reservoir. At dusk, the clusters become less dense, because tadpoles migrate to the deep parts of the reservoir. At night they stay at the bottom. Tadpoles begin to rise from the bottom 3 hours before sunrise and disperse in the water layer. Soon after sunrise they become less active and begin to group together. The rhythm of the feeding activity of tadpoles coincides with the daily dynamics of their spatial distribution, which is determined by the course of temperature and illumination.
Various are used for feeding. It is highly advisable to introduce earthworms and slugs into the diet. Toads quickly produce conditioned reflexes- for example, “knock on glass” - food. After 2-3 weeks, the animals will get used to this signal and will gather at the feeder. You can teach them to take food from tweezers or from your hand.
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Cantor, 1842
(= Bufo vulgaris var. sachalinensis Nikolsky, 1905; Bufo bufo asiaticus - Nikolsky, 1918)
Appearance. Most small representative groups of gray toads; maximum body length is less than 100 mm (in China, females are up to 125 mm). Leather covered with tubercles with sharp spines, as well as round smooth warts. The articular tubercles on the fingers are double. Coloring on top it is quite varied: gray, gray-olive, brownish, reddish, with or without a pattern of dark, greenish-brown or reddish spots. The dark stripe on the outer edge of the parotid extends to the sides of the body:
The appearance of the head of the Caucasian toad, Bufo verrucosissimus (A), the gray toad Bufo bufo (B) and Far Eastern toad(IN)
Sometimes a thin strip runs along the middle of the back. The bottom is yellowish or off-white, with small dark spots. Resonators males do not.
Spreading. Inhabits the south of the Russian Far East - the Amur region east of the Bureya River to the mouth of the Amur, the Ussuri River basin and the south of the Primorsky Territory, except for the steppe part of the Khanka Lowland, Sakhalin Island. Outside Russia, it lives in Korea and China (everywhere except the very south and north-west). In Transbaikalia there is an isolated area of the range that needs to be studied.
Taxonomy of the species. Previously, the Far Eastern toad, like other forms of toads of the Far East, was considered a subspecies of the European gray toad. Now it has the status of an independent species, consisting of 2 subspecies. The nominative subspecies is represented on the territory of Russia Bufo gargarizans gargarizans Cantor, 1842. Another subspecies, Pope's toad, Bufo gargarizans popei Matsui, 1986, lives in Chinese provinces Fujian and Sichuan.
Habitat. The Far Eastern toad is associated with the forest zone, within which it inhabits cedar-broad-leaved and deciduous forests. It is also found in open areas in meadows, fields, and vegetable gardens; on Sakhalin it is common in bamboo thickets. Often found in towns and even in large cities.
Activity. It is active mostly at dusk, but can sometimes be found during the day, especially in damp and shaded places, as well as in cloudy and rainy weather. Usually during the day it hides under dead wood, in rotten stumps, leaf litter, rodent burrows, soil voids, and under turf.
Reproduction. Toads in spring are awakening from the second half of April - until mid-May at an air temperature of 4-7°C, when the weather is still unstable, with sudden temperature changes.
Breeding period extended and can last until mid-June. Animals breed, as a rule, in small bodies of water with stagnant or low-flowing water up to 1 m deep in forests, river valleys, swampy meadows, oxbow lakes, puddles, roadside ditches, etc. They often use the same reservoirs as the Far Eastern frog. First, males come to reservoirs, and then females. 2-14 days after their appearance, the toads begin to reproduce. Pair formation can occur both near bodies of water and in them themselves. Pairing lasts about 3-6 hours, after which the female lays eggs in 2-3 hours in the form of a cord 1.5-4 m long and 5-7 mm thick.
Eggs with a diameter of about 2.1 mm, arranged in 1-3 rows. The cords are wound around plants at a depth of up to 25 cm or lie at the bottom if there is no vegetation in the reservoir. The number of eggs ranges from 1930 to 7500 pieces. After spawning, the toads leave the water bodies.
Tadpole pecking usually occurs within 4-17 days. Larval development lasts 45-66 days. Tadpoles are characterized by group behavior: they form dense large clusters that move in concert in the water or lie on the bottom of the reservoir. During the day they are in shallow water or near the surface of the water. Mortality at the embryonic and larval stages of development it is high and amounts to about 58-80% until the underyearling stage. The tadpoles of the Far Eastern frog negatively affect the larvae of toads, and in water bodies with high density, 100% death of the latter often occurs. Metamorphosis passes in 3-5, less often 10 days. Fledglings of glossy black color appear in June - early August, being very small (up to 7-10 mm). The toads stay near bodies of water for about 5-7 days, burrowing into moist soil. They then migrate away from bodies of water, settling mainly during the day, but some at night.
Sexual maturity occurs at the age of three to four years.
Nutrition. The main food of toads is various terrestrial invertebrates, mainly insects, especially beetles, in addition to them, hymenoptera, butterflies, orthoptera and others, as well as spiders, mollusks, etc. Tadpoles gnaw at aquatic plants, feed in the water column or from the surface, often turning their belly up. They overwinter in rodent burrows, under tree roots, and in cellars.
Abundance and conservation status. The Far Eastern toad is a fairly common species. Found in a number of nature reserves. It is not included in the Red Data Books of the USSR and Russia.
Similar species. Isolated geographically from gray and Caucasian toads. It differs from the Mongolian toad, which lives in the Far East, in color and other characteristics.
At the Ecosystem Ecological Center you can purchase color identification table " Amphibians and reptiles of central Russia"and a computer identification of amphibians (amphibians) of Russia, as well as other methodological materials By aquatic fauna and flora(see below).
On our website you can also get acquainted with information on the anatomy, morphology and ecology of amphibians in Russia:
Date: 2011-05-31
I. Khitrov, Moscow
Toads They have always been popular among terrarium enthusiasts, especially those that come from the tropics. For some reason, it is believed that equatorial aborigines are more exotic, brighter and more interesting, and therefore more preferable for keeping at home.
However, attractive animals are not only found in tropical countries. In the Far East, north of the Amur River, there lives an amazingly beautiful toad. Previously, it was considered a subspecies of the common toad, but in Lately All researchers agree that this is a completely independent species. At one time the animal was called the Asian toad, but in recent works another designation was finally established - the Far Eastern toad (Bufo gargarizans).
This is a medium-sized animal, up to 10 cm long. The color is gray or brown with three brighter stripes on top. There are wide dark stripes on the sides; the abdomen is light. Males are noticeably smaller than females and brighter in color.
Photo of Far Eastern toad
In nature Far Eastern toads inhabit forest zones with high humidity, preferring deciduous forests. They are active at dusk and at night, although in rainy weather they are also found during the day, especially young individuals. After wintering, they appear at the end of April - early May, and after 1-2 weeks they begin to reproduce. Spawning is spread out over time and can last until June. They feed on various types of invertebrates; their diet is dominated by slow-moving land animals, such as slugs.
Terrarium for keeping Far Eastern toads equipped as a “corner of the forest”. The area required for two individuals is 40x25 cm. The soil is leafy soil covered with a layer of sphagnum or forest moss. Availability of shelters is required; in their absence, amphibians bury themselves in the ground. To decorate the terrarium, you can use stones, pieces of bark, tree cuts and live ones. Temperature - from 12 to 28°C; humidity - about 80%. It is advisable to spray it daily with cool (15-18°C) water; in this case, a pond is not necessary. Lighting is moderate, using fluorescent lamps.
Photo of Far Eastern toad
Various invertebrates are used for feeding. It is highly advisable to introduce earthworms and slugs into the diet. Toads quickly develop conditioned reflexes - for example, “knock on glass” - food. After 2-3 weeks, the animals will get used to this signal and will gather at the feeder. You can teach them to take food from tweezers or from your hand.
To stimulate reproduction, artificial wintering is used with a decrease in temperature to 4-6°C or warm sprinkling (water temperature 30-35°C); the use of hormonal injections is also widely practiced.
The breeders, ready for spawning, are transferred to an inclined aquarium, partially filled with water. Caviar in the amount of several thousand (from 2000 to 7000) pieces is deposited in the form of cords. The water temperature in the spawning area is 12-18°C. Tadpoles hatch in 4-15 days, depending on the temperature, and leave the pond after about two months. They are fed with scalded nettles, lettuce and dry food for herbivorous fish. After metamorphosis, the toads eat tubifex, bloodworms and small insects.
In Soviet times, the toads of the Russian Far East were considered a subspecies of the gray toad, and today they are considered a separate species based on geographic isolation from other gray toads, morphological, karyological and biochemical differences. There are 2 subspecies of the Far Eastern toad. The nominative subspecies occurs in Russia Bufo gargarizans gargarizans Cantor, 1842.
Appearance and structure
Very similar to the gray toad. It differs from it in its smaller size (body length 56-102 mm), the presence of spines on the outgrowths of the skin and a wide stripe running from the parotid gland to the side of the body, torn into large spots in the back. The eardrum is very small or covered with skin. The upperparts are dark grey, olive-gray or olive-brown with three wide longitudinal stripes. The underside of the body is yellowish or grayish, without a pattern or with small spots in the rear.
The signs of sexual dimorphism are the same as in the common toad. In addition, the male's back is often greenish or olive; Gray or brown spots on the back may be present. The female is larger than the male, her hind legs are relatively shorter and her head is slightly wider.
Distribution and habitat
Its range includes northeastern China, Korea and Russia. Range in Russia: Far East north to the Amur River valley. There the species is distributed from west to northeast from the mouth of the Zeya River to the mouth of the Amur in the Khabarovsk Territory. Inhabits Sakhalin and islands in Peter the Great Bay: Russky, Popova, Putyatina, Skrebtsova and others. Also known from the Baikal region.
The Far Eastern toad lives in forests of various types (coniferous, mixed and deciduous), as well as in meadows. Although it loves wet habitats, it is rarely found in shaded or waterlogged coniferous forests, but inhabits floodplains and river valleys. It can live in anthropogenic landscapes: in rural areas, as well as in parks and gardens of large cities (such as Khabarovsk). Not found in mountain tundras.
Nutrition and lifestyle
Far Eastern toads eat mainly insects, preferring hymenoptera and beetles.
They winter from September-October to April-May. They can winter both on land in underground cavities, under logs and tree roots, and in reservoirs.
Reproduction
Far Eastern toads spawn in lakes, ponds, swamps, puddles, oxbow lakes, ditches and streams with standing or semi-flowing water. They breed in April-May, in some places until the end of June. Occasionally, vapors may form on the way to the pond. Amplexus axillary. Like gray toads, it occasionally happens among Far Eastern toads that several males try to mate with one female, forming a ball of toads. To release sexual products at the same time, the male and female stimulate each other with tactile and vibration signals. The eggs are deposited in cords that wrap around underwater objects (mostly plants) at depths of up to 30 cm.
