Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Chihuahuan Green Toad

Anaxyrus debilis

(Girard, 1854)

Chihuahuan Green Toad

G5Secure Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102043
Element CodeAAABB01060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderAnura
FamilyBufonidae
GenusAnaxyrus
Synonyms
Bufo debilisGirard, 1854
Other Common Names
green toad (EN) Sapo Verde (ES)
Concept Reference
Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
The genus Anaxyrus was split from Bufo by Frost et al. (2006). However, taxonomy within the genus Bufo remains controversial and many references still use the long-established Bufo. The nominal subspecies are unlikely to be anything other than arbitrarily defined sections of clines although this remains to be investigated adequately. Fouquette and Dubois (2014) rejected subspecies but presented no evidence for this conclusion (Crother 2017).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-06-23
Change Date2001-10-12
Edition Date2025-06-23
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2025)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
This species has a large range in the southwestern U.S. and northern México. The population appears to be stable. Droughts due to climate change are an impending threat in the future.
Range Extent Comments
This species is found in the southwestern United States and northern México (Conant and Collins 1991, Dodd et al. 2023). The range extends from western Kansas and southeastern Colorado south through eastern Texas and southeastern Arizona, to Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, México (Conant and Collins 1991, Dodd et al. 2023). Range extent is estimated to be 1,388,590 km² (GBIF 2025, RARECAT 2025).
Occurrences Comments
Represented by many and/or large occurrences throughout most of the range.
Threat Impact Comments
The increasing frequency and duration of droughts caused by climate change is likely to threaten the persistence of many populations in the future. Locally threatened by conversion of desert or grassland habitat to human uses (Dodd Jr. 2023). This species tolerates livestock grazing and makes use of cattle tanks as breeding sites (Dodd Jr. 2023). Pesticide use is also a potential threat.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species inhabits arid and semiarid plains, valleys, and foothills in grasslands and desert shrublands. It burrows in soil or hides under rocks, in cracks in soil, or in rodent burrows when inactive. Eggs and larvae develop in the shallow water of temporary ponds, rain pools, and pools along intermittent streams.

Reproduction

Breeds in aggregations after heavy spring or summer rains. Breeding choruses usually last only a few days. Aquatic larvae metamorphose in a few weeks.
Terrestrial Habitats
SavannaGrassland/herbaceousDesertCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOL
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
OklahomaS3Yes
ArizonaS3Yes
KansasS2Yes
New MexicoS4Yes
TexasS4Yes
ColoradoS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureLarge (31-70%)Slight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber cropsLarge (31-70%)Slight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)Slight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11.2 - DroughtsPervasive (71-100%)Slight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

—

Roadless Areas (6)
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
New Mexico (5)
AreaForestAcres
GrapevineLincoln National Forest2,086
Last Chance CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
West Face Sacramento MountainsLincoln National Forest41,176
References (18)
  1. Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999a. A field guide to Texas reptiles & amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xviii + 331 pp.
  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. Collins, J. T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 8. xiii + 356 pp.
  5. 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.
  6. 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]
  7. 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.
  8. Dodd, C. K., Jr. 2023. Frogs of the United States and Canada, Second Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
  9. Fouquette Jr., M.J., and A. DuBois. 2014. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Seventh Edition. Volume 1—Amphibians. Xlibris LLC, Bloomington, Indiana. 586 pp.
  10. Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
  11. Frost, D. R. 2010. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.4 (8 April 2010). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.
  12. Frost, D. R. 2017. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.
  13. 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
  14. Frost, D.R., T. Grant, J. Faivovich, R. Bain, A. Haas, C.F.B. Haddad, R.O. de Sa´, S.C. Donnellan, C.J. Raxworthy, M. Wilkinson, A. Channing, J.A. Campbell, B.L. Blotto, P. Moler, R.C. Drewes, R.A. Nussbaum, J.D. Lynch, D. Green, and W.C. Wheeler. 2006. The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 297: 1-370.
  15. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  16. Hammerson, G. A. 1982b. Amphibians and reptiles in Colorado. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Denver. vii + 131 pp.
  17. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  18. Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp.