Asiatic Toad (Bufo gargarizans) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

The Asiatic Toad is an East Asian species, not a native wild toad in the United States. It has warty brown skin and a long poison gland behind each eye, and its exact range has changed as scientists split northern populations into the Sakhalin Toad.

Appearance

Appearance: Adults are brown, yellow-brown, or reddish brown with rough, warty skin and an elongated behind each eye. Color and pattern vary, so a photograph alone may not separate closely related species.

Look-alikes

American ToadAnaxyrus americanus

A wild toad in the eastern or central United States is not an Asiatic Toad. American Toads usually have one or two large warts inside each dark back spot, but location is the clearest first check.

Why they get mixed upBoth are brown, warty toads with a large gland behind each eye.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: grasslands
open woodlands
farmland
pond edges
Range: Under the current split, this species is centered in central and eastern China. The Miyako Toad lives on Japan's Miyako Islands, and the species has no native U.S. range.
Preferred conditions: In southwestern China, it uses farmland and paths near shrubs. It also lives around open woodland and grassland in its native range.

Behavior

Diet: A study in southwestern China found beetles, , and insects in the ant and wasp group among its main foods.

Cautions

Cautions: The Miyako subspecies produces toxic skin mucus.

Name and classification

About the name: Northern populations once included in the Asiatic Toad were separated as the Sakhalin Toad (Bufo sachalinensis) in a 2022 revision. The Korean population was tentatively assigned to that species.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction

8 sources