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Spea bombifrons

(Cope, 1863)

Plains Spadefoot

G5Secure Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100558
Element CodeAAABF02010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderAnura
FamilyScaphiopodidae
GenusSpea
Synonyms
Scaphiopus bombifronsCope, 1863
Other Common Names
Crapaud des plaines (FR) Pied-bêche des plaines (FR) Plains Spadefoot Toad (EN) plains spadefoot toad (EN)
Concept Reference
Wiens, J. J., and T. A. Titus. 1991. A phylogenetic analysis of Spea (Anura: Pelobatidae). Herpetologica 47:21-28.
Taxonomic Comments
Tanner (1989) and Wiens and Titus (1991) recognized Spea as distinct from Scaphiopus, within which it was previously regarded as a subgenus (Crother 2017).

Garcia-Paris et al. (2003) used mtDNA to examine the phylogentic relationships of Pelobatoidea and found that the family Pelobatidae, as previously defined, is not monophyletic (Pelobates is sister to Megophryidae, not to Spea/Scaphiopus). They split the Pelobatidae into two families: Eurasian spadefoot toads (Pelobates), which retain the name Pelobatidae, and North American spadefoot toads (Scaphiopus, Spea), which make up the revived family Scaphiopodidae.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-08-02
Change Date2001-11-29
Edition Date2015-08-25
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Range Extent Comments
This wide ranging species occurs from south-central Canada (north to near Outlook, Saskatchewan; Can. Field-Nat. 106:311-315) to north-central Mexico, west to western Montana, eastern Colorado, eastern Arizona, east to western Iowa, eastern Missouri, and central Arkansas in the United States (Herp. Rev. 20:12). There are disjunct populations in southern Texas and in Arkansas, and in adjacent Mexico (Stebbins 1985, Conant and Collins 1991) in northern Chihuahua eastward to Tamaulipas.
Occurrences Comments
Represented by many and/or large occurrences throughout most of the range.
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known, though locally the species has been negatively affected by intensive urbanization and agricultural development, and breeding populations near busy roads may experience periodic heavy mortality from vehicles as the toads move between breeding and nonbreeding habitats (Hammerson 1999).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Pupil vertically elongate in bright light; a single hard, wedge-shaped "spade" on each hind foot; hard lump between eyes, slightly forward of an imaginary line crossing the middle of both eyes; dorsum often with a roughly hourglass-shaped marking (four light lines; often absent in smaller individuals); anterior ends of the arched frontoparietal bones elevated and rough/pitted (dissection required); maximum snout-vent length about 6 cm. Mature male: dark patches on inner 2-3 fingers during the breeding season; expanded vocal sac slightly bilobed; breeding call: a brief snore, much faster than the long, stuttering snore of the New Mexico spadefoot. Larvae: dorsum brown or green to whitish, or mottled gray and dull olive yellow, usually of pale appearance, sometimes with bluish iridescence; dorsal fin clear or with sparse yellowish and gray mottling/flecks; ventral fin clear or mainly clear with sparse yellow flecks; body globular; eyes dorsal; belly iridescent golden, gut coil not visible (large larvae); mandibles frequently cusped, lower mandible not striated; jaw muscles sometimes greatly hypertrophied and may bulge from the sides of the face in front of the eyes; labial tooth rows 0/0 to 6/6, mostly 4/4 or 3/4; oral papillae completely encircle mouth (dorsal gap may be present); anus on midline at front end of ventral tail fin; usually up to 7 cm total length, sometimes up to 9.5 cm. Eggs: black above, white below, diameter 1.5-1.6 mm, surrounded by two jelly envelopes, in elliptical masses of about 10-250. Source: Hammerson (1999).

Habitat

Plains spadefoots inhabit shrublands, grasslands, and semi-desert areas, usually in areas with friable soils. They burrow underground or occupy rodent burrows when inactive. Females attach eggs to vegetation in shallow water of temporary pools or flooded areas, and sometimes permanent waters, especially those that fluctuate greatly in size.

Reproduction

Almost all feeding and breeding activity occur during and shortly after heavy spring and summer rains. Breeding choruses usually last about 2 days. Females divide their clutch among several egg clusters. Eggs and larvae develop quickly, and toadlets leave the pools in 2-11 weeks, if breeding pools do not dry up sooner than this.
Terrestrial Habitats
Shrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceousDesertCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN3
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaS2Yes
AlbertaS3Yes
SaskatchewanS3Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
KansasS5Yes
WyomingS4Yes
South DakotaS5Yes
ArkansasS1Yes
MissouriS4Yes
North DakotaSNRYes
MontanaS4Yes
UtahS1Yes
ColoradoS5Yes
NebraskaS5Yes
IowaS4Yes
ArizonaS4Yes
New MexicoS5Yes
TexasS5Yes
Navajo NationS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
Roadless Areas (8)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. Gmt Area HCuster National Forest1,335
New Mexico (5)
AreaForestAcres
Arroyo de la PresaSanta Fe National Forest6,178
Chama WS RiverSanta Fe National Forest4,168
Dry CreekGila National Forest26,719
LemitasSanta Fe National Forest8,129
Ryan HillCibola National Forest34,201
References (22)
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  2. Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999b. A field guide to Florida reptiles and amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xvi + 278 pp.
  3. Blackburn, L., P. Nanjappa, and M. J. Lannoo. 2001. An Atlas of the Distribution of U.S. Amphibians. Copyright, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA.
  4. Bragg, A.N. 1965. Gnomes of the night. the spadefoot toads. 127 pp.
  5. Collins, J. T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 8. xiii + 356 pp.
  6. Collins, J. T. 1993. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Third edition, revised. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Public Education Series No. 13. xx + 397 pp.
  7. Conant, R. and Collins, J.T. 1998. A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern North America Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
  8. Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 450 pp.
  9. Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 616 pp.
  10. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  11. Degenhardt, W. G., C. W. Painter, and A. H. Price. 1996. Amphibians and reptiles of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. xix + 431 pp.
  12. Frost, D.R. 2020. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Online: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html
  13. García-París, M., D.R. Buchholtz, and G. Parra-Olea. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships of Pelobatoidea re-examined using mtDNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 28:12-23.
  14. Hall, J.A. 1998. <i>Scaphiopus intermontanus</i>. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 650:1-17.
  15. Hammerson, G. A. 1982b. Amphibians and reptiles in Colorado. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Denver. vii + 131 pp.
  16. Hammerson, G. A. 1999. Amphibians and reptiles in Colorado. Second edition. University Press of Colorado, Boulder. xxvi + 484 pp.
  17. Johnson, T.R. 1977. The Amphibians of Missouri. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Public Education Series 6: ix + 134 pp.
  18. Johnson, T. R. 2000. The amphibians and reptiles of Missouri. Second edition. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City. 400 pp.
  19. Sattler, P. W. 1985. Introgressive hybridization between the spadefoot toads <i>Scaphiopus bombifrons</i> and <i>S. multiplicatus</i> (Salientia: Pelobatidae). Copeia 1985:324-332.
  20. Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp.
  21. Tanner, W. W. 1989. Status of <i>Spea stagnalis</i> Cope (1875), <i>Spea intermontanus</i> Cope (1889), and a systematic review of <i>Spea hammondii</i> Baird (1839) (Amphibia: Anura). Great Basin Nat. 49:503-510.
  22. Wiens, J. J., and T. A. Titus. 1991. A phylogenetic analysis of <i>Spea </i>(Anura: Pelobatidae). Herpetologica 47:21-28.