Asian Toadfrogs: Megophryidae

Physical characteristics: Sometimes called the webless toothed toad, the Schmidt's lazy toad is a grayish brown animal with warts dotting its body, thin forelegs, and rather short back legs. All of its legs have dark bands. Their undersides are pinkish tan and almost see-through. Adults grow to 1.7 to 2.0 inches (4.5 to 5.4 centimeters) long from snout to rump. Males are usually just a bit smaller than the females. The males also have many spines on the first toe of each front foot and two, large, rough spots on the chest. These rough spots, called nuptial (NUHP-shul) patches or nuptial pads, help the male hold onto the female's slippery back during mating.

Geographic range: The Hengduanshan Mountains of southern Szechwan and Yunnan, which are located in central to southern China, are home to this species.

Because the Schmidt's lazy toad lives in a very small area and its numbers are low, any changes to its habitat could be dangerous to this frog. (Illustration by Bruce Worden. Reproduced by permission.)

Habitat: Schmidt's lazy toad lives in marshes and streams within mountain forests and valleys.

Diet: No one knows what this toad eats.

Behavior and reproduction: Schmidt's lazy toad lives most of its life on land. During mating season, the males begin calling, often from underneath a rock. Unlike most other frogs, they will keep on calling even if a person walks up and flips over their rock, leaving the frog in plain sight. When the males spot a female, they will surround her and continue calling. Male and female pairs mate in the water, and the female lays a sticky ball of about 120 eggs onto the bottom of a stream rock. The eggs hatch into green- and gold-speckled tadpoles, which turn into froglets shortly after breeding season the following year.

Schmidt's lazy toads and people: People and these frogs rarely see one another.

Conservation status: The World Conservation Union (IUCN) considers this species to be Near Threatened, which means that it is at risk of becoming threatened with extinction in the future. Because it lives in a very small area and its numbers are low, any changes to its habitat could be dangerous to this frog. ∎