Duttaphrynus melanostictus
—
Black-spined Toad
Also known as:
Common Asian Toad, Asian Toad, Asian Common Toad, Common Sunda Toad, Black-lipped Toad, Keeled-nosed Toad, Indian Toad, Asian Toad, South Asian Garden Toad, Black-spectacled Toad, House Toad, Asiatic Toad, Asian Eyebrow-ridge Toad, Spectacled Toad, Asian Black-spotted Toad, Asian Spined Toad
The genus Duttaphrynus was split from Bufo by Frost et al in 2006. Many references still use the long-established Bufo. There's still controversy in the ranks of amphibian taxonomists about this split, but since the SSAR names book follows the split for North America, I'm also following it for the rest of the world.
These dramatic-looking toads are good colonizers. They were introduced into Bali sometime in the last 50 years but now they're quite common there. I'm not sure why this one had the blue eyes. I suppose it was just about to shed its skin.
We found these two by a rice field on Lombok. I learned here that the black spots on the warts are the stains left by exuded poison. So don't eat these toads, if you were otherwise tempted to. I personally recommend consuming no herps at all, but tastes vary.
The toad in the second picture wished we would just go away and leave it alone. As did the one in the first picture, I suppose.
A proud and well-camouflaged toad.
This large and distinctively patterned toad awaited us on the front steps of the Runakanda Rainforest Conservation Center when we returned in the middle of the night after a long herping session.
Online references:
- Duttaphrynus melanostictus account on AmphibiaWeb
- Duttaphrynus melanostictus account on Ecology Asia
- Duttaphrynus melanostictus account on iNaturalist
- Duttaphrynus melanostictus account on Amphibian Species of the World
Printed references:
- Manthey, U., Grossmann, W. 1997. Amphibien & Reptilien Südostasiens
- Monk, K. A., de Fretes, Y., Reksodiharjo-Lilley, G. 1997. The Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku
The Ecology of Indonesia Series, volume V