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Anaxyrus quercicus

(Holbrook, 1840)

Oak Toad

G4Apparently Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
HighThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102537
Element CodeAAABB01130
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderAnura
FamilyBufonidae
GenusAnaxyrus
Synonyms
Bufo quercicusHolbrook, 1840
Other Common Names
oak 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
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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-06-23
Change Date2025-06-23
Edition Date2025-06-23
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2025)
Threat ImpactHigh
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
This species is endemic to the southeastern U.S. Once very abundant, the population has declined due to development, conversion of habitat to pine plantation, fire exclusion, and loss of wetlands. The population continues to decline due to these threats.
Range Extent Comments
This species is endemic to the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States. It is found from southeastern Virginia south through all of Florida and west to the Mississippi River in Louisiana (Conant and Collins 1991, Dodd Jr. 2023). Range extent is estimated to be 840,038 km² (GBIF 2025, RARECAT 2025).
Occurrences Comments
Represented by many and/or large occurrences throughout most of the range.
Threat Impact Comments
This species is unable to thrive in urban and suburban areas but may remain common in agricultural areas (Bartlett and Bartlett 1999, Dodd Jr. 2023). Habitat is degraded by the ongoing conversion of habitat to dense monocultures of slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (P. taeda), and by continued draining of surface waters in remaining stands of pine savanna and pine-oak (Mitchell 1991, Dodd Jr. 2023). Long-term fire exclusion from upland and wetland habitats degrades habitat quality (Noss and Rothermel 2015, Dodd Jr. 2023). The presence of road traffic noise will cause this species to go quiet or avoid otherwise suitable breeding habitat, reducing reproductive success and abundance over time (Grace and Noss 2018).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Sandy pine flatwoods and oak scrub, open pine and pine-oak woods, pine or oak savannas with sandy soils, and maritime forests. Occurs on some barrier islands in South Carolina and in the Florida Keys. Seems to favor open-canopied pine flatwoods with grassy ground cover. When inactive, burrows underground or hides under surface objects. Eggs and larvae develop in rain pools, ditches, cypress and flatwoods ponds, and other flooded areas.

Ecology

In Florida, density was estimated at 2/100 sq m (Hamilton 1955).

Reproduction

Lays clutch of several hundred eggs, in small strands, April-October, usually coincident with heavy rains. Larval period lasts about 2 months.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceous
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLHERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS2Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
MississippiS4Yes
VirginiaS2Yes
FloridaS4Yes
South CarolinaS3Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
LouisianaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areasRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2.2 - Wood & pulp plantationsRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridorsRestricted (11-30%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroadsRestricted (11-30%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7.1.2 - Suppression in fire frequency/intensityLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (3)
Florida (3)
AreaForestAcres
Farles PrairieOcala National Forest1,901
Gum BayApalachicola National Forest11,645
SavannahApalachicola National Forest1,927
References (21)
  1. Ashton, R. E., Jr., and R. Franz. 1979. Bufo quercicus. Cat. Am. Amph. Rep. 222.1-222.2.
  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. 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.
  4. 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.
  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. Dodd, C. K., Jr. 2023. Frogs of the United States and Canada, Second Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
  8. Dundee, H. A., and D. A. Rossman. 1989. The amphibians and reptiles of Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  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. 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.
  14. Gibson, J. D. 2023. Geographic, seasonal, habitat and climate factors impacting prevalence of anuran species during Virginia Herpetological Society surveys between 1991-2022. Catesbeiana 43(1): 25-37.
  15. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  16. Hamilton, J. D. 1955. Notes on the ecology of the oak toad in Florida. Herpetologica 11:205-210.
  17. Martof, B. S., W. M. Palmer, J. R. Bailey, and J. R. Harrison, III. 1980. Amphibians and reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 264 pp.
  18. Mitchell, J. C. 1991. Amphibians and reptiles. Pages 411-76 in K. Terwilliger (coordinator). Virginia's Endangered Species: Proceedings of a Symposium. McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, Virginia.
  19. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  20. Noss, C. F., and B. B. Rothermel. 2015. Juvenile recruitment of oak toads (<i>Anaxyrus quercicus</i>) varies with time-since-fire in seasonal ponds. Journal of Herpetology 49(3): 364–370.
  21. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>