Species: Bufo gargarizans = Far Eastern (gray) toad. Far Eastern frog - Rana chensinensis Far Eastern toad

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Cantor, 1842
(= Bufo vulgaris var. sachalinensis Nikolsky, 1905; Bufo bufo asiaticus - Nikolsky, 1918)

Appearance. Most small representative groups of gray toads; maximum body length is less than 100 mm (in China, females are up to 125 mm). Leather covered with tubercles with sharp spines, as well as round smooth warts. The articular tubercles on the fingers are double. Coloring on top it is quite varied: gray, gray-olive, brownish, reddish, with or without a pattern of dark, greenish-brown or reddish spots. The dark stripe on the outer edge of the parotid extends to the sides of the body:

The appearance of the head of the Caucasian toad, Bufo verrucosissimus (A), the gray toad Bufo bufo (B) and Far Eastern toad(IN)

Sometimes a thin strip runs along the middle of the back. The bottom is yellowish or off-white, with small dark spots. Resonators males do not.

Spreading. Inhabits the south of the Russian Far East - the Amur region east of the Bureya River to the mouth of the Amur, the Ussuri River basin and the south of the Primorsky Territory, except for the steppe part of the Khanka Lowland, Sakhalin Island. Outside Russia, it lives in Korea and China (everywhere except the very south and north-west). In Transbaikalia there is an isolated area of ​​the range that needs to be studied.

Taxonomy of the species. Previously, the Far Eastern toad, like other forms of toads of the Far East, was considered a subspecies of the European gray toad. Now it has the status of an independent species, consisting of 2 subspecies. The nominative subspecies is represented on the territory of Russia Bufo gargarizans gargarizans Cantor, 1842. Another subspecies, Pope's toad, Bufo gargarizans popei Matsui, 1986, lives in Chinese provinces Fujian and Sichuan.

Habitat. The Far Eastern toad is associated with the forest zone, within which it inhabits cedar-broad-leaved and deciduous forests. It is also found in open areas in meadows, fields, and vegetable gardens; on Sakhalin it is common in bamboo thickets. Often found in towns and even in large cities.

Activity. Active mostly at dusk, but can sometimes be found during the day, especially in damp and shaded places, as well as in cloudy and rainy weather. Usually during the day it hides under dead wood, in rotten stumps, leaf litter, rodent burrows, soil voids, and under turf.

Reproduction. Toads in spring are awakening from the second half of April - until mid-May at an air temperature of 4-7°C, when the weather is still unstable, with sudden temperature changes.

Breeding period extended and can last until mid-June. Animals breed, as a rule, in small bodies of water with stagnant or low-flowing water up to 1 m deep in forests, river valleys, swampy meadows, oxbow lakes, puddles, roadside ditches, etc. They often use the same reservoirs as the Far Eastern frog. First, males come to reservoirs, and then females. 2-14 days after their appearance, the toads begin to reproduce. Pair formation can occur both near bodies of water and in them themselves. Pairing lasts about 3-6 hours, after which the female lays eggs in 2-3 hours in the form of a cord 1.5-4 m long and 5-7 mm thick.

Eggs with a diameter of about 2.1 mm, arranged in 1-3 rows. The cords are wound around plants at a depth of up to 25 cm or lie at the bottom if there is no vegetation in the reservoir. The number of eggs ranges from 1930 to 7500 pieces. After spawning, the toads leave the water bodies.

Tadpole pecking usually occurs within 4-17 days. Larval development lasts 45-66 days. Tadpoles are characterized by group behavior: they form dense large clusters that move in concert in the water or lie on the bottom of the reservoir. During the day they are in shallow water or near the surface of the water. Mortality at the embryonic and larval stages of development it is high and amounts to about 58-80% until the underyearling stage. The tadpoles of the Far Eastern frog negatively affect the larvae of toads, and in water bodies with high density, 100% death of the latter often occurs. Metamorphosis passes in 3-5, less often 10 days. Fledglings of glossy black color appear in June - early August, being very small (up to 7-10 mm). Toads stay near bodies of water for about 5-7 days, burying themselves in wet soil. They then migrate away from bodies of water, settling mainly during the day, but some at night.

Sexual maturity occurs at the age of three to four years.

Nutrition. The main food of toads is various terrestrial invertebrates, mainly insects, especially beetles, in addition to them, hymenoptera, butterflies, orthoptera and others, as well as spiders, mollusks, etc. Tadpoles gnaw aquatic plants, feed in the water column or from the surface, often turning their belly up. They overwinter in rodent burrows, under tree roots, and in cellars.

Abundance and conservation status. The Far Eastern toad is a fairly common species. Found in a number of nature reserves. It is not included in the Red Data Books of the USSR and Russia.

Similar species. Isolated geographically from gray and Caucasian toads. From the Mongolian toad, which lives on Far East, differs in color and other characteristics.

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Far Eastern frog - Rana chensinensis David, 1875
(= Rana dybowskii Gunther, 1876; Rana temporaria - Nikolsky, 1918 (part.); Rana semiplicata Nikolsky, 1918; Rana zografi Terentjev, 1922; Rana japonica - Terentyev and Chernov, 1949)

Appearance. frogs average sizes; maximum body length 96 mm. Head relatively wide, muzzle not pointed. The dorsal-lateral folds bend towards the eardrum; sometimes not expressed. Hind limbs generally of moderate length. If they are folded perpendicular to the axis of the body, then the ankle joints overlap. If the limb is extended along the body, the ankle joint extends beyond the eye, and in some individuals even beyond the edge of the muzzle. Interior calcaneal tubercle equal on average to 1/3 of the length of a finger.

2 - articular tubercles, 3 - external calcaneal tubercle, 4 - internal calcaneal tubercle

Paired inner side resonators males have them. Marriage callus on the first finger it is divided into 4 parts.

Leather smooth or covered on the back and sides with tubercles of different sizes and shapes, but grainy, like Siberian frog, No. Coloring the upper part is very variable, from slightly gray-greenish to light or dark brown, fawn, reddish. Many individuals have a pronounced ^-shaped figure ( chevron). Dark spots of different sizes and shapes on the back and sides often coincide with the tubercles and chevron, but sometimes they are not solid, but only border them, forming eyes (for example, in some South Kuril frogs). The light stripe along the middle of the back, if expressed, is unclear. Individuals without spots and stripes are often found (especially in the south of Primorye). Dark temporal spot clearly visible. The place where the sides and hips meet is colored yellow-greenish. The belly may be covered with rusty, reddish, pinkish-yellow and bluish spots, especially in females. In males it and the throat are often white, without spots, and reddish only in the back and on the limbs; in young individuals with mottling.

Spreading. A widespread species that lives in the Russian Far East, in North Korea, Japan (Hokkaido - see below), China (west to eastern Xinjiang and Tibet, south to Sichuan, Hubei and Jiangsu provinces), southern and eastern Mongolia. In Russia, the range of the Far Eastern frog extends west to the city of Zeya (about 127E), north to the lower reaches of the Aldan River in southeastern Yakutia (about 63° N) and the north of the Khabarovsk Territory. In the east, frogs inhabit Sakhalin Island and southern Kurile Islands(Kunashir, as well as Shikotan and other islands of the Small Ridge).

Taxonomy of the species. The taxonomy of the species still remains unclear. Perhaps, in reality, we are dealing with a series of species, outwardly very similar friends on a friend. There are also nomenclatural difficulties. Recently, frogs of Hokkaido Island (Japan) were isolated as an independent species Rana pirica Matsui, 1991. If we recognize its reality, then frogs from the southern Kuril Islands should also apply to it. However, a number of data do not confirm the species status. On the other hand, the relationship between the frogs of Primorye, from where a number of forms were described (see list of synonyms), and central China, where the species was described from Rana chensinensis (Qin-ling mountains). Geographical variability across its vast range is also unknown. Thus, there is a need for extensive re-research, first of all, of brown frogs of China using modern methods (molecular genetics, etc.), and not just museum collections.

The Far Eastern frog belongs to the group brown frogs(group Rana temporaria). Subspecies, including those described by Chinese herpetologists, have not yet received recognition.

Habitat. Mostly forest a species very characteristic of the Far East. In general, the species is ecologically very plastic, populating both wet and dry habitats; leads a terrestrial lifestyle, moving a considerable distance away from bodies of water. It is found both on the plain and on the slopes of hills, on watersheds and passes, except for the alpine zone, rising into the mountains to an altitude of more than 1000 m above sea level (in Tibet and Sichuan almost up to 4000 m). Inhabits broad-leaved, cedar-broad-leaved, small-leaved and coniferous forests, preferring edges, clearings, clearings. It also lives in floodplains and valleys of rivers and lakes, along sea ​​coasts, in shrub thickets, in mixed-grass meadows, in overgrown burnt areas, swampy larch forests (pigweeds). In the south of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, it lives in thickets of bamboo and tall grass, and even near hot springs. Frogs are often found in forest plantations, reclaimed fields, agricultural lands, parks, orchards, and vegetable gardens; found in towns and cities. They avoid continuous thickets of bamboo, dense tracts of coniferous forest, and tundra landscapes not crossed by rivers.

Activity. Frogs can be found at any time of the day. During the day they are found in shaded places under the forest canopy or among tall grass in rainy and cloudy weather. The greatest occurrence of individuals is observed at dusk, in the first half of the night and early in the morning, while the dew has not yet dried. In case of danger, frogs hide under dead wood, in the forest floor, under stones and other lying objects, in grass, and in rodent holes. In hot, dry times, they can dig small burrows 8-12 cm long at a depth of 5-10 cm from the surface.

Reproduction. Frogs in spring are awakening, when the snow has not yet completely melted and the reservoirs are partially covered with ice. The air temperature at this time can be 1-5°C, water temperature 1-3°C. Adults appear in the Primorsky Territory in late March - mid-April, in the south of Sakhalin and Kunashir in the first ten days of April - the first ten days of May, in the Middle Amur in mid - late April, in Yakutia in late April - May. Immature individuals emerge from wintering grounds later. Males, sometimes even overcoming areas of snow, occupy reservoirs first. In a couple of days they're throwing loud parties concerts, heard from afar. In breeding areas, frogs sometimes form very large clusters.

As spawning grounds various reservoirs are used, for the most part temporary, less often permanent. Frogs breed in puddles, pits, roadside ditches, in depressions filled with melt and rainwater, in flooded meadows, in oxbow lakes, on fresh shallow outskirts of large lagoon lakes, in reclamation ditches, swamps, and small ponds. Sometimes spawning occurs even in streams, river branches, but not in the stream itself, but in small branches where there is almost no current. The depth of reservoirs is usually small, usually up to 0.7-1.0 m; the banks and bottom may be covered with vegetation or, less commonly, bare. Breeding reservoirs can be located either on a plain in a floodplain or valley, or in hills, in a forest and in an open place (meadows, seashore). In some reservoirs the water is brackish.

Breeding period extended for at least a month, since the migration of individuals from wintering areas occurs in two or three waves. Pairing begins 2-6 days after leaving the winter at a water temperature of 5-11°C. Vapors sometimes form several tens of meters before the reservoir and last for 4-10 hours. Males in a pond try to grab any moving object. The process of actually laying eggs by a couple lasts about 5 minutes. The female lays from 300 to 3800 eggs with a diameter of 5-7 mm (ovum diameter 2.0-2.4 mm) in a well-warmed area, often with vegetation, at a depth of about 20 cm. Spawning occurs in batches (600-800 eggs each), but if on Sakhalin there is a time gap between portions are very small and all portions stick together into one lump, then in Primorye the intervals can be up to 2-3 days. In the Amur region, as a rule, eggs are laid at a time. After spawning, frogs leave water bodies.

Embryonic development lasts 4-18 days in Primorye, 4-6 days in the Amur region, 10-12 days in Yakutia, no more than 10-23 days on Sakhalin. A large number of eggs and larvae is dying from drying up of water bodies. The length of the larvae after hatching is 5-8 mm. Larval development covers 52-98 days. Tadpoles active during the day. Their length before metamorphosis is about 44 mm (including tail). On the oral disc, the denticles are located in 4 rows above and below the beak. The entire period of subject-morphotic development (from eggs) is 70-75 days in the Amur region, 78-110 days in Primorye, 60-121 days in the south of Sakhalin and 65-70 days in Kunashir. To stage fingerling no more than 3% of laid eggs survive. Fledglings with a length of 10-12 mm or more appear in the middle - end of June - July, less often in early August with a body length of 12 mm or more.

Sexual maturity occurs at the age of three years with a body length of about 54 mm. Maximum life expectancy in nature for at least 6 years.

Nutrition. The main foods of frogs include terrestrial invertebrates: beetles, butterfly caterpillars, orthoptera, spiders, snails, and less commonly earthworms(in young of the year, mainly springtails and mites). The composition of feed depends on the habitat, season, and size of the frogs. On the Kunashir coast, frogs go out into the seaweed emission zone in the evening and catch amphipods there. During the breeding season they can feed. Tadpoles consume mainly various algae, as well as protozoa, rotifers, small crustaceans and oligochaetes, and insect eggs.

Frogs eat vipers And runners, crows, birds of prey and water birds, a number of mammals. Eggs and tadpoles are destroyed by larvae of caddisflies, dragonflies and swimming beetles.

Wintering. They leave for the winter in October. During migrations, hundreds and thousands of individuals sometimes move simultaneously to wintering sites. The duration of wintering in the south of Sakhalin is 180-210 days. They winter in non-freezing flowing reservoirs with a water temperature of 3-5°C - mountain rivers, springs with clean water and rocky bottoms, drainage ditches and only occasionally in stagnant bodies of water (quarries, ponds). Frogs hide from the current behind stones, shore ledges, in holes at the bottom, under snags. Sometimes they spend the winter in rivers polluted with garbage, under which they hide (for example, under iron sheets, tin cans etc.). Several hundred thousand individuals can accumulate in favorable reservoirs. Frogs under the ice move from time to time both with the current and against the current and at this time, apparently, obtain food. In the event of a decline in water in winter, severe freezing of areas to the bottom, or death, many frogs die.

Abundance and conservation status. Far Eastern frog - pretty numerous view. Found in a number of nature reserves. There is no threat to the existence of the species. Not included in the Red Books of the USSR and Russia.

Belonging to the genus Toad. Lives in Asia. Previously considered a subspecies of the gray toad ( Bufo bufo)

Description

Taxonomy

In Soviet times, the toads of the Russian Far East were considered a subspecies of the gray toad, and today they are considered a separate species based on geographic isolation from other gray toads, morphological, karyological and biochemical differences. There are 2 subspecies of the Far Eastern toad. The nominate subspecies occurs in Russia Bufo gargarizans gargarizans Cantor, 1842.

Appearance and structure

Very similar to the gray toad. It differs from it in its smaller size (body length 56-102 mm), the presence of spines on the outgrowths of the skin and a wide stripe running from the parotid gland to the side of the body, torn into large spots in the back. The eardrum is very small or covered with skin. The upperparts are dark grey, olive-gray or olive-brown with three wide longitudinal stripes. The underside of the body is yellowish or grayish, without a pattern or with small spots in the rear.

The signs of sexual dimorphism are the same as in the common toad. In addition, the male's back is often greenish or olive; Gray or brown spots on the back may be present. The female is larger than the male, her hind legs are relatively shorter and her head is slightly wider.

Distribution and habitat

Its range includes northeastern China, Korea and Russia. Range in Russia: Far East north to the Amur River valley. There the species is distributed from west to northeast from the mouth of the Zeya River to the mouth of the Amur in the Khabarovsk Territory. Inhabits Sakhalin and islands in the Gulf of Peter the Great: Russky, Popova, Putyatina, Skrebtsova and others. Also known from the Baikal region.

The Far Eastern toad lives in forests of various types (coniferous, mixed and deciduous), as well as in meadows. Although it loves wet habitats, it is rarely found in shaded or waterlogged coniferous forests, but inhabits floodplains and river valleys. It can live in anthropogenic landscapes: in rural areas, as well as in parks and gardens of large cities (such as Khabarovsk). Not found in mountain tundras.

Nutrition and lifestyle

Far Eastern toads eat mainly insects, preferring hymenoptera and beetles.

They winter from September-October to April-May. They can winter both on land in underground cavities, under logs and tree roots, and in reservoirs.

Reproduction

Far Eastern toads spawn in lakes, ponds, swamps, puddles, oxbow lakes, ditches and streams with standing or semi-flowing water. They breed in April-May, in some places until the end of June. Occasionally, vapors may form on the way to the pond. Amplexus axillary. Like gray toads, it occasionally happens among Far Eastern toads that several males try to mate with one female, forming a ball of toads. To release sexual products at the same time, the male and female stimulate each other with tactile and vibration signals. The eggs are deposited in cords that wrap around underwater objects (mostly plants) at depths of up to 30 cm.

Population status

The Far Eastern toad is a common and numerous species in the Far East of our country. In the Amur River valley, it ranks third in number among amphibians (after frogs Rana nigromaculata And Rana amurensis). After severe droughts and frosty winters, the population of Far Eastern toads drops sharply, but then recovers.