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Incilius alvarius

(Girard in Baird, 1859)

Sonoran Desert Toad

G5Secure Found in 23 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104462
Element CodeAAABB01010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderAnura
FamilyBufonidae
GenusIncilius
Synonyms
Bufo alvariusGirard, 1859Ollotis alvaria(Girard in Baird, 1859)
Other Common Names
Colorado River Toad (EN)
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
This taxon of predominantly Central American toads was removed from a paraphyletic "Bufo" by Frost et al. (2006). However, the oldest name for this taxon is Incilius Cope, 1863 (see Frost et al. 2009) which therefore takes precedence. Mendelson et al. (2011) provided evidence for the monophyly of this genus (Crother 2017).
Conservation Status
Review Date2002-03-29
Change Date2001-10-10
Edition Date2002-03-29
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs from extreme southeastern California, southern Arizona and extreme southern New Mexico in the United States, south in to Mexico. It has nearly been extirpated in California. It occurs from sea level to 1,610m asl (Stebbins 1985).
Occurrences Comments
Represented by many and/or large occurrences throughout most of the range.
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats have been identified (other than localized ones) for this species.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species ranges from arid mesquite/creosotebush lowlands and arid grasslands to oak/sycamore/walnut groves in mountain canyons. It is often near permanent water but is also found near temporary water or far from water. It may take refuge in rodent burrows. It breeds and lays eggs in ponds, slow-moving streams, etc.

Reproduction

Breeding occurs May-August, usually for a short period (one or two nights), 1-3 nights following a major rainfall event; relatively few of the males produce persistent advertisement calls (Sullivan and Malmos, 1994, Herpetologica 50:146-156). May lay up to about 8,000 eggs in long strands (Stebbins 1972)
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceousDesertCropland/hedgerowSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLHERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS3Yes
New MexicoS2Yes
CaliforniaSHYes
Roadless Areas (23)
Arizona (22)
AreaForestAcres
Black CanyonPrescott National Forest10,683
Black CrossTonto National Forest5,966
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
Catalina St. Pk. Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest951
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Lime CreekTonto National Forest42,568
Lower RinconCoronado National Forest3,278
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
Middle Romero WSRCoronado National Forest60
Oracle RoadlessCoronado National Forest22,365
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
Pine Mountain Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest6,518
Santa TeresaCoronado National Forest8,929
Sierra Ancha Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest7,787
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Upper Romero WsrCoronado National Forest150
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
References (15)
  1. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  2. 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.
  3. 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]
  4. Fouquette, M.J. 1970. Bufo alvarius. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 93:1-4.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. Frost, D. R., J. R. Mendelson III, and J. Pramuk. 2009. Further notes on the nomenclature of Middle American toads (Bufonidae). Copeia 2009(2):418-418.
  9. 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.
  10. Jennings, M. R., and M. P. Hayes. 1994. Amphibian and reptile species of special concern in California. Final Report submitted to the California Department of Fish and Game, Inland Fisheries Division. Contract No. 8023. 255 pp.
  11. Mendelson, J. R., III, D. G. Mulcahy, T. S. Williams, and J. W. Sites, Jr. 2011. A phylogeny and evolutionary natural history of mesoamerican toads (Anura: Bufonidae: Incilius) based on morphology, life history, and molecular data. Zootaxa 3138:1-34.
  12. Stebbins, R. C. 1972. California Amphibians and Reptiles. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
  13. Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp.
  14. Thompson, R.C., A.N. Wright, and B.H. Shaffer. 2016. California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern. Sonoran Desert Toad Species Account. Oakland, California: University of California Press. https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=190373&inline
  15. Wright, A.N., R.J. Hijmans, M.W. Schwartz and H.B. Shaffer. 2013. California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Future Concern: Conservation and Climate Change. Final Report to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Nongame Wildlife Program Task 12, Contract No. P0685904.