Title:

A case report on a male common toad, Bufo bufo, with reduced size of the parotoid macroglands

Subtitle:

Male Bufo bufo with reduced size of the parotoid macroglands ; Opis przypadku samca ropuchy szarej, Bufo bufo, ze zredukowanymi przyusznymi gruczołami jadowymi

Creator:

Kowalski, Krzysztof

Publisher:

Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk

Place of publishing:

Warszawa

Date issued/created:

2024

Description:

24 cm

Type of object:

Journal/Article

Subject and Keywords:

Anura ; Bufonidae ; chemical defence ; male-male rivalry ; predation avoidance ; skin glands ; toad poison

Abstract:

Anurans secrete a wide diversity of toxins from their skin glands to defend themselves against predators, parasites and pathogens. Bufonid toads, both males and females, produce potent poison in their parotoid macroglands to avoid predation. Here, I provide a case report on a male common toad, Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758), with the reduced size of parotoids. The parotoids’ surface was reduced by 60% and 32% in the left and right macrogland, respectively, when compared to the mean surface of macroglands measured in 176 randomly selected males inhabiting the Barbarka woodland settlement in Toruń (central Poland). Such reduced-size parotoids might produce and store a lower amount of toxic poison that may affect predation avoidance, male-male rivalry during breeding season, and defence against microorganisms. It is the first observation of a male toad with such reduced parotoids in the studied area. Although variation in gland morphology among different anuran species have been discussed in the herpetological literature, it is still unclear if parotoid macroglands with reduced size occur more frequently in toads or if it is a rare and local phenomenon.

References:

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Relation:

FRAGMENTA FAUNISTICA 67 (2): 85–92, 2024

Volume:

67

Issue:

2

Start page:

85

End page:

92

Resource type:

Text

Detailed Resource Type:

Article

Resource Identifier:

10.3161/00159301FF2024.67.2.085

Source:

MiIZ PAN, call no. P.256 ; MiIZ PAN, call no. P.4664

Language:

eng ; eng

Rights:

Creative Commons Attribution BY 4.0 license

Terms of use:

Copyright-protected material. [CC BY 4.0] May be used within the scope specified in Creative Commons Attribution BY 4.0 license, full text available at: ; -

Digitizing institution:

Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Original in:

Library of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Access:

Open