The pine toad (Incilius occidentalis) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Mexico and found on the Central Mexican Plateau.[1][2]

Pine toad
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
Genus: Incilius
Species:
I. occidentalis
Binomial name
Incilius occidentalis
(Camerano, 1879)
Synonyms
  • Bufo occidentalis Camerano, 1879
  • Bufo monksiae Cope, 1879
  • Cranopsis occidentalis (Camerano, 1879)
  • Bufo intermedius Günther, 1858
  • Cranopsis intermedia (Günther, 1858)
  • Rhinella intermedia (Günther, 1858)
  • Incilius intermedius (Günther, 1858)

Taxonomy edit

The species was conspecific with Incilius mccoyi until that species was described separately in 2011.[3]

Bufo intermedius edit

In 2016, the enigmatic Bufo intermedius, known only from old museum specimens supposedly collected from Ecuador and long suspected to be related to some Mexican species, was found to be synonym of Incilius occidentalis.[2][4][5] The decisive piece of evidence were the stomach contents that revealed two beetle species that do not occur in Ecuador.[4][5]

Habitat and conservation edit

It is a common toad that lives in a wide variety of habitats, including lowland xeric scrubs, deciduous forest, coniferous forests, and oak forests. It can also occur in disturbed environments. Breeding takes place in streams, and desiccation, alteration and pollution of its breeding habitat are the main threats to this species.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Incilius occidentalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T50930813A50930675. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T50930813A50930675.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Frost, Darrel R. (2016). "Incilius occidentalis (Camerano, 1879)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  3. ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Incilius mccoyi Santos-Barrera and Flores-Villela, 2011". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b Mendelson, Joseph R.; Barclay, Maxwell V. L.; Geiser, Michael; Streicher, Jeffrey W. (2016). "The taxonomic status of Bufo intermedius Günther, 1858: forensic entomology confirms what was long suspected from morphology". Copeia. 104 (3): 697–701. doi:10.1643/CH-16-422.
  5. ^ a b Hopkinson, Steve (5 September 2016). "Toad's last supper helps solve Victorian mystery". Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 7 September 2016.