Iberian spiny toad – Bufo spinosus – Sapo comun Ibérico

Iberian common toad - Bufo spinosus - Sapo comun Ibérico

A relatively large toad with a total maximum length of about 21cm, though males are rather smaller at 9-10cm and the average female is 15cm. The head is longer than wide, with a short rounded snout, and the area between the eyes is either flat or concave. The tympanum is barely visible, measuring about half the diameter of the eye. The fingers are short, the third being the longest, followed by the the first and then the second and fourth, these latter two being of equal length. There are two tubercles on the palms. The toes are relatively long and flattened.

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Natterjack toad – Epidalia (Bufo) calamita – Sapo corredor

Natterjack toad - Epidalia (Bufo) calamita - Sapo corredor
  • Family: Bufonidae
  • English: Natterjack Toad
  • Scientific: Epidalia (Bufo) calamita
  • Spanish: Sapo corredor
  • Basque: Apo lasterkaria
  • Catalan: Gripau corredor, gripau
  • Galician: Sapo corriqueiro
  • Portuguese: Sapo-corredor
  • Distribution Iberia: Found throughout all Portugal and much of Spain, including the Pyrenees but excluding the northern Atlantic region and the dry central interior, though present in the south.
  • Further distribution: UK mainland and Ireland, France through Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and southern Swedish coastal regions to Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states, and also in Northwest Africa and west Asia. In the UK and Eire the species is restricted in its distribution and considered endangered. In Ireland, found only on the Dingle Peninsula, and distribution in the UK is almost restricted to coastal areas.

The Natterjack toad – Epidalia (Bufo) calamita – Sapo corredor is a species of Bufo, a large genus of so-called “true toads” traditionally found worldwide, although some authorities have now separated the Old World species from the New.

Description

Epidalia (Bufo) calamita is a medium-sized toad with a total maximum length of about 9-10cm in Iberia. (Elsewhere in Europe the species is smaller, males measuring 8cm and females 10cm). The head is wider than long, with a short rounded snout, and the area between the eyes is flat. The tympanum, measuring about half the diameter of the eye, is usually not visible, and if it is, only the front part can be seen.

Natterjack toad - Epidalia (Bufo) calamita - Sapo corredor
Natterjack toad – Epidalia (Bufo) calamita – Sapo corredor with a faint yellow dorsal stripe

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Berber Toad – Sclerophrys mauritanica – Sapo moruno

Berber Toad – Sclerophrys mauritanica – Sapo moruno

The Berber Toad – Sclerophrys mauritanica – Sapo moruno is a medium-sized toad native to North Africa. An introduced population was also present in Spain close to Los Alcornocales Natural Park but numbers are unknown with some authorities declaring the species extinct in Spain. It is present in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, … Read more