CHECKLIST OF THE AMPHIBIA OF MEXICO 37 



Family BUFONIDAE Hogg 



Bufonidae Hogg, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 2, vol. 7, 1841, p. 361. 



Genus BUFO Laurenti 



Bm/o^Lattrenti, Synopsin reptilium, 1768, p. 25. 



Docidophryne Fitztnger, Systema reptilium, fasc. 1, 1843, p. 32 (genotype Bufo 



Agua T>audin= (Rana) marina Linnaeus). 

 Anaxyrus Tschudi, Untersuchungen iiber die Fauna Peruana, Herp., 1845, p. 78 



(genotype Anaxyrus melancholicus Tschu(ii = Bufo compadilis Wiegmann). 

 Dromoplectrus Camerano, Atti Accad. Sci. Torino, vol. 14, 1879, p. 882 (genotype 



Dromopledrus anomalus Camerano = Bufo compadilis Wiegmann). 



Genotype. — Bufo vulgaris Laurenti =(jBana) hujo Lirmaeus, 1758. 



Range. — World-wide except in sub-Arctic and Arctic regions and 

 excluding New Guinea, Polynesia, Australia, and Madagascar. In 

 the Americas, Hudson Bay, Labrador, Aleutian Islands, and Prince 

 William Sound (southern coast of central Alaska) southward through 

 South America. 



Species. — ^About 250 forms are known, and of these some 65 or 70 

 occur in the Americas; 22 occur in Mexico. 



KEY TO MEXICAN SPECIES OF BUFO 



1. An enlarged gland present on arm; two or more glands on leg; large, 147 



mm alvarius (p. 39) 



No well-defined enlarged gland present on arms, none on legs (glands 

 on legs only on Bufo boreas halophilus) 2 



2. The inner metatarsal tubercle horn covered, black 3 



Inner metatarsal tubercle not shovellike, lacking a horny, cutting edge, 



not covered with black horn 6 



3. Inner metatarsal tubercle a large, well-defined shovel with a rather sharp, 



horny, cutting edge * 



Inner metatarsal tubercle small, rather sharp-pointed, not shovel-shaped; 

 64 mm califomicus (p. 41) 



4. Tarsal fold very indistinct or absent; postorbital crest forming right angle 



with the interorbital crest; 120 mm woodhousii woodhousii (p. 40) 



Tarsal fold present, distinct, but narrow 5 



5. Cranial crests poorly defined or absent; if present, an occipital crest may 



be faintly indicated; 88 mm compactilis (p. 40) 



A pair of strong supraorbital crests converging anteriorly to a bony boss 

 betv/een the nostrils; angle between postorbital and interorbital crests 

 usually greater than a right angle; no occipital crest; 97 mm. 



cognatus (p. 41) 



6. Very large toads; parotoid gland very large, of greater area than side of 



head; prominent cranial crests; parotoids usually colored different 



than body 



Small and medium to large toads, parotoid usually smaller than side of 

 head (or if larger the species very small, glands colored hke body)-.-- 8 



7. Body more elongate, not strongly tubercular; parotoid not encroaching 



on tympanum; foot slender; 127 mm angustipes (p. 41) 



Body more triangular, strongly tubercular (spiny in males); parotoid 

 encroaching on tympanum; foot less slender; 170 mm., horribilis (p. 41) 



