Bufonidae 



earth, and sit patiently hour after hour with just the bright eyes 

 showing at the doors of their burrows. When taken in the hand, 

 the male gives a faint bird-like note. Its dusky throat can extend 

 into a large rounded vocal pouch. The habits and life history of 

 Bufo punctatus are not recorded. 



BUFO DEBILIS, GIRARD 



IDENTIFICATION CHARACTERISTICS 



Colour: Ashy brown, with small black tubercles. Eyelids 

 and parotoids may be crossed by black lines. Legs may be 

 broadly banded with black; these bands may have their outlines 

 strongest, so as to give the appearance of narrow black cross-lines. 

 Underparts and concealed surfaces light, unspotted. 



Measurements: Size small, i.e. length ij to 2 inches. Head 

 short, its length contained in total length of head and body four 

 times or more. Leg short; its total length just equals the total 

 length of head and body. 



Structure: Skin rough, with small warts and granulations. 

 Underparts finely granular. Head wide and flat; space between 

 the eyes greater than width of eyelid. Parotoids divergent and 

 very large, each extending backward to a point beyond the shoul- 

 der; their upper margins are nearly straight, their lower obtusely 

 angled. The foot has webs of medium size; the sole tubercles 

 are insignificant. 



Range: Bufo delilis is reported from the following places in 

 Texas: Upper Wichita River, Nueces River, Lower Rio Grande, 

 and the Brazos (Waco). 



Bufo debilis is a small burrowing toad with an appearance 

 and range remarkably like those of Bufo punctatus. It can always 

 be distinguished from the latter, however, by its smaller size, its 

 shorter legs, and its unusually large parotoid glands. 



112 



