A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

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Key to Identifying Toads in California

California Frogs and Toads:

1. Does the toad you want to identify have a stripe down the middle of the back? (This is called a dorsal stripe.) Sometimes the dorsal stripe is faint or absent, so some toads are listed both as having a stripe, and as not having a stripe.

Distinct Dorsal Stripe Go to 3	Faint Dorsal Stripe Go to 3	No Dorsal Stripe Go to 2 directly below
2. Toads with no dorsal stripe. Use the range maps and / or the shape of the parotoid glands to determine species.
Red-spotted Toad The Red-spotted Toad occurs in Southern California, mainly in the deserts east of the mountain ranges and north through much of the Mojave Desert. Its small, rounded parotoid glands and lack of a dorsal stripe will distinguish it from its neighbors. It often has many red spots on the body, but sometimes the red is missing or faint.

Range - in red	Red-spotted Toad Anaxyrus punctatus	Parotoid glands are rounded. Red spots on back
Arroyo Toad The Arroyo Toad occurs along the south and south-central coasts up into the mountains. It usually has a light stripe or patch on the head and eyelids that is not found on the sympatric Caifornia Toad, and it lacks the pronounced light dorsal stripe found on that species. The Arroyo Toad is listed as endangered because it uses creeks with sandy banks to breed in, and this habitat is rapidly disappearing or being destroyed.

Range - in red	Arroyo Toad Anaxyrus californicus	Large parotoid glands
Arizona Toad The Arizona Toad only occurs in a small area just west of the Colordo River, although it may not occur in California anymore. The lack of a stripe on the back, and/or the large long parotoid glands will differentiate this toad from others that inhabit the same area.

Range - in red	Arizona Toad Anaxyrus microscaphus	Large elongated parotoid glands Light mark between eyes
Great Plains Toad The Great Plains Toad occurs in the far southeast, along the Colorado River and the Imperial Valley to near Palm Springs. The cranial crests form a boss on the snout and separate widely toward the rear of the head, converging towards the front of the snout. The large blotches with light edges will also help you distinguish it from the Rocky Mountain Toad, which also tends to have a more pronounced stripe down the back.

Range - in red	Great Plains Toad Anaxyrus cognatus	Cranial crests
Yosemite Toad Males and females vary in appearance. Yosemite toads only occur at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They do not occur with any other species of toad, although the California Toad occurs nearby. The California toad has a distinct dorsal stripe, while the Yosemite Toad has a more faint stripe. Sometimes there is no stripe.

Range - in red	Female Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus	Male Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus
Sonoran Desert Toad The Sonoran Desert Toad once occured in parts of the Imperial Valley and along the Colorado River. It seems to have totally disappeared from California. If you find one in California, let me or somebody know! It is characterized by large long parotoid glands, a cranial crest, a lack of a dorsal stripe, and large white warts behind the eye and on top of the rear thigh. It is generally green or olive in color without very dark spots or blotches. It would occur along with Rocky Mountain Toads, Red-spotted Toads, and Great Plains Toads, but both should be readily distinguished by its color, size, parotoid glands and warts.

Range - in red	Sonoran Desert Toad Incilius alvarius	Large, long parotoid glands, cranial crests, and white warts.
3. Toads with a dorsal stripe.
Does the toad have enlarged cranial crests on top of the head between the eyes?

Cranial Crests Go to 4 directly below	No Cranial Crests Go to 5
4. Toads with a dorsal stripe and cranial crests.
Rocky Mountain Toads have a distinct dorsal stripe, but some Great Plains Toads have a faint dorsal stripe. You can differentiate the two species by the cranial crests and the parotoid glands. The cranial crests of the Great Plains Toad point inward at the front, often coming together. The parotoid glands of the Rocky Mountain Toad are more elongated than on the Great Plains Toad.

Rocky Mountain Toad - Left Great Plains Toad - Right The paratoid glands on the Rocky Mountain Toad are more elongated	Rocky Mountain Toad Prominent cranial crests, sometimes with a boss between them, which contact the elongated parotoid glands.	Great Plains Toad Cranial crests separate more toward the rear of the head, sometimes coming together in front in a slight V shape.

Rocky Mountain Toad The Rocky Mountain, or Woodhouse's Toad has spread into California in the far southeast, along the Colorado River and the Imperial Valley to near Palm Springs. The cranial crests are prominent, sometimes with a boss between them, and they contact the parotoid glands.

Range - in red	Rocky Mountain Toad Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii	Paratoid glands are elongated and contact the cranial crests
Great Plains Toad The Great Plains Toad occurs in the far southeast, along the Colorado River and the Imperial Valley to near Palm Springs. The cranial crests form a boss on the snout and separate widely toward the rear of the head, converging towards the front of the snout. The large blotches with light edges will also help you distinguish it from the Rocky Mountain Toad, which also tends to have a more pronounced stripe down the back.

Range - in red	Great Plains Toad Anaxyrus cognatus	Cranial crests are wider in the back
5. Toads with a dorsal stripe and no cranial crests Use the range maps to identify the following species.
Western Toad Western Toads are found throughout much of the state, excluding the high Sierras and the deserts (although they can be found in some desert towns.) There are two subspecies, as indicated by the map below.

Range: Red: California Toad Orange: Boreal Toad (Gray is range of intergradation.)	Boreal Toad Anaxyrus boreas boreas	California Toad Anaxyrus boreas halophilus
Comparison of subspecies of Anaxyrus boreas
A. b. boreas: "Considerable dark blotching both above and below. Sometimes almost all dark above..." A. b. halophilus "Generally less dark blotching than in Boreal Toad. Head wider, eyes larger (less distance between upper eyelids), and feet smaller." (Stebbins, 2003)

Black Toad The Black Toad only occurs only in Deep Springs Valley southeast of Bishop near the Nevada Border and nearby in a couple of locations. It occurs along with the Great Basin Spadefoot, but is entirely different in appearance, being dark black with a stripe down the middle of the back, while the Spadefoot is gray with no stripe, and has vertical pupils, along with other differences.

Range - in red	Black Toad Anaxyrus exsul
Yosemite Toad Males and females vary in appearance. Yosemite toads only occur at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They do not occur with any other species of toad, although the California Toad occurs nearby. The California toad has a distinct dorsal stripe, while the Yosemite Toad has a more faint stripe. Sometimes the stripe is not apparent.

Range - in red	Female Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus	Male Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus

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