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

Kowalski, Krzysztof

doi:10.3161/00159301FF2024.67.2.085

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

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

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

Kowalski, Krzysztof

Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk

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

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.

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