Southwest Reptiles and Amphibians
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Railroad Valley Toad - Anaxyrus nevadensis
(Gordon, Simandle, Sandmeier, and Tracy, 2020)
| Two new cryptic species of toads, formerly grouped within Bufo boreas, were discovered in Central Nevada and formally described in 2020: Hot Creek Toad - Bufo (Anaxyrus) monfontanus Railroad Valley Toad - Bufo (Anaxyrus) nevadensis "...these two localized endemic toads are genetically divergent and morphologically distinct, yet were concealed under the range of the broadly distributed western toad (Bufo boreas), which occurs throughout Nevada. The newly discovered species are close in geographic proximity to each other (albeit, in different hydrological basins) but have evolved unique morphological characters that are distinct from each other and distinctive from all allied taxa within the B. boreas species complex." Michelle R. Gordon, Eric T. Simandle, Franziska C. Sandmeier, and C. Richard Tracy (2020) Two New Cryptic Endemic Toads of Bufo Discovered in Central Nevada, Western United States (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Bufo [Anaxyrus]). Copeia: March 2020, Vol. 108, No. 1, pp. 166-183. |
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| Adult, Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada | |||
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| Adult, Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada | |||
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| Adult, Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada | |||
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| Adult, Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada | |||
| Habitat | |||
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| Habitat, Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada |
Habitat, Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada |
Habitat, Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada |
Habitat, Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada |
| Sounds | |||
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| This is a short recording of the sounds of the release calls of an adult toad in Railroad Valley, Nye County, Nevada. The toad was picked up by hand and made these sounds. Insects and airplanes are heard in the background. | |||
A release call is produced by a male toad or an unreceptive female toad when a frog or other animal (including a human hand) grabs it across the back in the position used for mating or amplexus. It's a frog's way of saying "Get off my back! Let go!" In some species of toads, this call is also made during the breeding season when a male toad enters another male toad's territory. |
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Southwest Reptiles & Amphibians
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