American spadefoot toads
Encyclopedia
Scaphiopodidae is a family
of American spadefoot toads. They are native to southern Canada
and USA south to southern Mexico
. Scaphiopodidae is a small family, comprising only seven species.
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, this frog has hard, keratinous protrusion present on their feet, which helps them to dig. Like most fossorial frogs, they will dig backwards into the ground.
The American spadefoot toads are terrestrial when not under ground. They are dully coloured, usually a grey or dull green or brown. This is to aid in camouflage in their arid habitats.
family
, but has been split into two taxa. Pelobatidae
includes the Pelobates genus, and Scaphiopodidae the rest.
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.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of American spadefoot toads. They are native to southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and USA south to southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Scaphiopodidae is a small family, comprising only seven species.
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, this frog has hard, keratinous protrusion present on their feet, which helps them to dig. Like most fossorial frogs, they will dig backwards into the ground.
The American spadefoot toads are terrestrial when not under ground. They are dully coloured, usually a grey or dull green or brown. This is to aid in camouflage in their arid habitats.
Taxonomy
This family was previously included in the European spadefoot toadEuropean spadefoot toad
The European spadefoot toads are a family of frogs, the Pelobatidae, with only one genus Pelobates, containing four species. They are native to Europe, the Mediterranean, northwestern Africa and western Asia.- Description :...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, but has been split into two taxa. Pelobatidae
Pelobatidae
The European spadefoot toads are a family of frogs, the Pelobatidae, with only one extant genus Pelobates, containing four species. They are native to Europe, the Mediterranean, northwestern Africa and western Asia....
includes the Pelobates genus, and Scaphiopodidae the rest.
- Southern Spadefoot Toads, ScaphiopusScaphiopusScaphiopus is a genus of North American amphibian commonly referred to as the Southern 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...
(HolbrookJohn Edwards HolbrookJohn Edwards Holbrook American zoologist, herpetologist, physician, and naturalist, was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, the son of Silas Holbrook, a teacher, and Mary Edwards....
, 1836) - Western Spadefoot ToadWestern Spadefoot ToadWestern Spadefoot or Western Spadefoot Toad is the common name of two different species of toads*Spea hammondii, found in North America*Pelobates cultripes, found in Europe...
s, SpeaSpeaSpea 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 gland, and relatively smooth skin. Their most distinctive feature is a spade-like projection on their hind feet,...
(CopeEdward Drinker CopeEdward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen...
, 1866)
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.
External links
- Scaphiopodidae at Tree of Life