Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
BUFONIDAE - TOADS
Twelve species recorded in Paraguay, belonging to three different genera. The toads of the genera Rhinella and Chaunus were formerly placed in a much larger, cosmopolitan genus Bufo - that now applying only to Old World forms so that no species of Bufo now occurs in Paraguay. The genus Melanophryniscus sometimes bear the common name of "Fire-bellied Toads" on account of their brightly coloured ventral regions. Toads are immediately identifiable by their thick glandular skin, often with a warty appearance. They are terrestrial in behaviour, though require access to water for breeding. They exhibit 5 to 8 procoelous, holochordal presacral vertebrae, where there are less than 8 it is due to fusions. Ribs are absent. The urostyle is free with two condyles, though some have a single condyle or have them fused to the sacrum. The pectoral girdle is usually arciferal. The sternum is bony and the omosternum is absent. The clavicle does not overlie the scapular. Palatines are present in most. No teeth present on the maxilla or premaxilla. Astralagus and calcaneum are fused only at the ends. No intercalary phalanges. The sartorius is a separate and distinct muscle. Pupil is horizontal. Bidder´s Organ is present. The skull is highly ossified, usually co-ossified with the head skin. Fertilisation is external, with aquatic eggs and larvae, though in a few rare cases direct development and/or viviparity is shown. 2n=22. Sperm with two equal tail filaments and curved head.
REFERENCES
Cei JM 1980 - Amphibians of Argentina - Monitore Zoologico Italiano Monografia 2.
Fouquette MJ (undated) - Synopsis of Recent Amphibians to Genus - Arizona University.
Whitfield P Ed.1984 - Longman Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia - Guild Publishing, London.
