AmphibiaWeb - Oreolalax granulosus
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(Translations may not be accurate.)

Oreolalax granulosus Fei, Ye & Chen, 1990
Spiny Warty Toothed Toad
family: Megophryidae
subfamily: Leptobrachiinae
genus: Oreolalax

AmphibiaChina 中国两栖类.

Conservation Status (definitions)
IUCN Red List Status Account Near Threatened (NT)
CITES No CITES Listing
National Status None
Regional Status None

   

 

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
View Bd and Bsal data (12 records).

Description

The male is 55 mm and the female is 59 mm in body length. This species has vertical pupils. It lacks a visible tympanum. Maxillary teeth are developed. The back is full of spiny tubercles of varying size. The femoral gland is not obvious. The back legs are relatively short, with the tibiotarsal articulation extending to the back corner of the eye. There is a wide fringe on the sides of the toes, and the fourth toe is 1/3 webbed. The dorsum is yellowish brown, with relatively dark-colored tubercles. The piebald marking is usually not obvious. An indistinct brown mark occurs towards the shoulders and interorbital space. Limbs have indistinct bands. The ventrum is yellowish white or has thin, light gray speckles. The male has nuptial spines on the first and second fingers, and a pair of closely spaced, large spine clusters on the chest. The spines are thin and densely clustered.

Tadpoles are 62 mm in body length and 23 mm in head length. The tail is black. The upper part of the caudal fin lacks rusty speckling. The labial tooth row formula is I: 5-5(or 4-4)/I:4-4. The center of the upper lip lacks 3 papillae. The corners of the mouth have many additional papillae, with some more keratinized (Fei 1999).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: China

 

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
View Bd and Bsal data (12 records).
O. granulosus inhabits Jingdong County in southwestern Yunnan Province, at 2300 to 2450 meters above sea level, in the dense evergreen-broadleaf forests in the vicinity of high mountains. It is terrestrial, preferring moist, shady areas within the forest (Fei 1999)[617].

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Breeding occurs in a ten-day period between February and March. At this time, adults enter the stream. The females lay about 110 eggs, which are attached to the underside of rocks in ring-like clusters or clumps. Occasionally, eggs will be linked together in sheets. Usually, more eggs are found in slower parts of the stream. Individual egg diameter is 3.2-3.5 mm, and the animal pole is light gray. Tadpoles live at the bottom of the streams. In the morning, tadpoles hide between rocks or under rotten leaves in backwater pools. At night, they emerge and swim about sluggishly (Fei 1999).

Trends and Threats
Though the habitat is protected, the population is vulnerable due to its restricted range (IUCN 2006)[3727]. This species is only rarely encountered (IUCN 2006).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss

References

Fei, L. (1999). Atlas of Amphibians of China. Henan Publishing House of Science and Technology, Zhengzhou.

IUCN, Conservation International, and NatureServe. 2006. Global Amphibian Assessment. www.globalamphibians.org. Accessed on 06 July 2007.



Originally submitted by: Sijie Mao (first posted 2007-05-03)
Edited by: Kellie Whittaker (2007-07-06)

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2007 Oreolalax granulosus: Spiny Warty Toothed Toad <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5299> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Mar 28, 2024.



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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 28 Mar 2024.

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