American Toad

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas

Sponsored by The Center for North American Herpetology

American Toad

Anaxyrus americanus (Holbrook, 1836)

Overview

The American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) is distinguished by dry skin, a rounded snout, prominent kidney-shaped parotoid glands behind the eyes, and cranial crests between and behind the eyes. The posterior crests either do not contact the parotoids or connect via a short spur. The venter is typically white with dark spotting, though specimens from the southern border region (Cherokee–Chautauqua counties) may lack these markings.
Dorsal coloration ranges from gray to brown or reddish brown, often with dark blotches and occasionally pale dorsal striping. Males exhibit a black throat and enlarged nuptial pads on the innermost fingers during the breeding season; females are generally larger.
This is the most common toad in eastern Kansas but may be confused with Anaxyrus woodhousii, with which it occasionally hybridizes. Diagnostic features include a profusely spotted belly (except in southern populations), and typically one wart per dark dorsal spot—unlike A. woodhousii or A. fowleri, which show multiple warts per spot and paired dorsal blotches.
Adults typically measure 50–90 mm SVL. The largest known Kansas specimen (KU 211394) measures 102 mm SVL, collected in Neosho County by Travis W. Taggart and R. Bruce Taggart on 14 September 1988. Maximum recorded SVL across the species’ range is 155 mm (Powell et al. 2016).

Distribution

Occurs throughout much of the eastern third of Kansas, primarily east of the Flint Hills. A specimen from Trego County (FHSM 5857) has been examined and exhibits diagnostic features of this species; however, it is not mapped due to its presumed introduction—likely associated with hatchery operations at Cedar Bluff Reservoir.
Range-wide, this species extends from Manitoba south to northeastern Texas, eastward through northwestern South Carolina, and north to Labrador and southwestern Newfoundland. An isolated extension follows the east side of the Mississippi River into southeastern Louisiana. It is notably absent from southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana.

Reproduction

Fitch (1958) conducted the most comprehensive study of Anaxyrus americanus in northeastern Kansas, identifying optimal habitat as rocky areas in open woodlands or woodland edges. Individuals were commonly found beneath large, flat rocks underlain by loose, moist soil. They tend to avoid open fields with dense vegetation and exhibit a minimal home range of approximately 0.16 acres. Fitch also observed long-distance movements during periods of high humidity. The species is primarily nocturnal, foraging in the late afternoon and at night, and remaining concealed during daylight hours.
Clarke (1958) reported activity in Lyon County at air temperatures between 58–85°F, primarily in oak-walnut hillsides and cultivated fields. Taggart (1992) recorded nocturnal activity on 24 March in Allen County at 46°F. A. americanus is active from March to October, burrowing underground during extreme winter and summer conditions. Breeding occurs from March to early May, following spring rains. Adults gather at ephemeral or semi-permanent aquatic sites, such as upland streams, ponds, ditches, or tire ruts. Males produce long, musical trills (5–50 seconds) to attract females, and amplexus is initiated with the male clasping the female behind the forelimbs. Females deposit 2,800–20,500 eggs in long double strings as males simultaneously fertilize them. Tadpoles hatch rapidly and metamorphose into juvenile toads within a week of dispersal.
In northeastern Kansas, Fitch (1958) recorded chorusing between 10 April and 7 May, with peak breeding activity at air temperatures of 80–85°F. However, other records show breeding can begin by mid-March, depending on the weather. Taggart (1992) noted chorusing at 52°F on 2 April in Allen County.
Diet consists primarily of beetles, crickets, leafhoppers, grasshoppers, spiders, and ants. Hartman (1906) analyzed stomach contents from 11 specimens in Wyandotte County and found ground beetles, tiger beetles (Cicindelidae), snapping beetles, fireflies (Lampyridae), carrion beetles, ants, crickets, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, giant water bugs (Belostoma), and Lachnosterna spp. One specimen contained 60 beetles, 3 leafhoppers, and 3 ants.
Outside the breeding season, American Toads inhabit a wide range of habitats in eastern Kansas, from forests to suburban gardens. They are commonly encountered around artificial light sources at night, feeding opportunistically on insects attracted to the light. During the day, they shelter under rocks, logs, vegetation, or in shallow burrows.

Remarks

The first purported report of the American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) in Kansas was by Hallowell (1857), based on specimens received from Fort Riley surgeon William H. Hammond. However, the described material—two large adults and several juveniles with red spots—likely represents Anaxyrus woodhousii. Cope (1880) similarly listed Bufo lentiginosus var. americanus as “common at Manhattan and westward,” a distribution consistent with A. woodhousii. Yarrow (1882) reported two Kansas specimens housed at USNM: USNM 2533 (“Little Blue River, Kan.”, coll. W.S. Wood) and USNM 4543 (“Fort Riley, Kans.”, coll. H. Brandt). Both are also likely A. woodhousii; neither specimen is extant. Cope (1889) reiterated Yarrow’s account without revision. Hartman (1906) mentioned A. americanus from Kansas City and Graham County, but the latter is questionable, and his references likely conflate the two species.
The first verifiable published account of A. americanus in Kansas is from Burt and Burt (1929), who reported individuals near Cherryvale, Montgomery County. The earliest existing specimen (KU 6343) was collected by F.A. Hartman on 25 April 1904 (see Moriarty and Collins 1995).
Smith (1950) first noted morphologically distinctive A. americanus in Cherokee County and suggested they may represent a unique form. Bragg (1954), prompted by Smith’s observations, described populations in southeastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma as a new subspecies, noting their small size and lack of evidence for hybridization with the nominate form. Collins (1982) acknowledged the possible presence of this form in Kansas but declined to recognize it without additional data, though he suggested it may represent a distinct species. Masta et al. (2002) later demonstrated that charlesmithi constitutes a distinct clade, potentially warranting specific status. Where it occurs in Kansas, this form is not rare, but its distribution remains poorly defined.
Hybridization between A. americanus and A. woodhousii has been documented (Volpe 1955), especially under conditions of habitat disturbance or overlapping breeding phenology. Collins (1974b) observed A. americanus, A. woodhousii, and A. cognatus breeding simultaneously in Douglas County. Hybrids may complicate identification, though A. americanus typically breeds earlier in the season and at lower temperatures.
Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a captive longevity record of four years, eight months, and 25 days for this species.

References

Holbrook, John E. 1836. North American Herpetology; or, a Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Volume 1. J. Dobson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 120 pp.

Hallowell, Edward. 1856. Notice of a collection of reptiles from Kansas and Nebraska presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences, by Doctor Hammond, U. S. A. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 8:238-253.

Hallowell, Edward. 1857. Note on the collection of reptiles from the neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, recently presented to the Academy of Natural Sciences by Dr. A. Heerman. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 8:306-310.

Cragin, Francis W. 1880. A preliminary catalogue of Kansas reptiles and batrachians. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 7:112-123.

Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249.

Cope, Edward D. 1889. The batrachia of North America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (34):1-525.

Hartman, Frank A. 1906. Food habits of Kansas lizards and batrachians. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 20:225-229.

Larson, Mary E. 1922. Effect of the extirpation of the thyroid glad upon the hypophysis in Bufo. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 38 pp.

Burt, Charles E. and May Danheim Burt. 1929. A collection of amphibians and reptiles from the Mississippi valley, with field observations. American Museum Novitates (381):1-14.

Mansfield, Robert R. 1932. A comparative study of the Helminthes of the Anura from five given localities. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 35 pp.

Gloyd, Howard K. 1932. The herpetological fauna of the Pigeon Lake Region, Miami County, Kansas. Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters 15:389-408.

Smith, Hobart M. 1933. The Amphibians of Kansas. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence. 383 pp.

Smith, Hobart M. 1934. The Amphibians of Kansas. The American Midland Naturalist 15(4):377-527.

Brumwell, Malcolm J. 1936. Distributional records of the reptilia and amphibians of Kansas. Privately printed. 22 pp.

Smith, Charles Clinton and Arthur N. Bragg. 1941. Food of Bufo a. americanus, B. cognatus, and B. woodhousei in Oklahoma. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 22(4):30.

Hall, Henry H. and Hobart M. Smith. 1947. Selected records of reptiles and amphibians from southeastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 49(4):447-454.

Smith, Hobart M. 1950. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous Publication (2):336.

Brumwell, Malcolm J. 1951. An ecological survey of the Fort Leavenworth Military Reservation. The American Midland Naturalist 45(1):187-231.

Freiburg, Richard E. 1951. An ecological study of the narrow-mouthed toad (Microhyla) in northeastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 54(3):374-386.

Bellis, Edward D. 1953. The effects of temperature on the breeding calls of some Oklahoma Salientians. Thesis. University of Oklahoma, Norman.

Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280 pp.

Sanders, Ottys. 1953. A new species of toad, with a discussion of morphology of the bufonid skull. Herpetologica 9(1):25-47.

Bragg, Arthur N. 1954. Bufo terrestris charlesmithi, a new subspecies from Oklahoma. Wasmann Journal of Biology 12(2):245.

Volpe, E. Peter. 1955. Intensity of reproductive isolation between sympatric and allopatric populations of Bufo americanus and Bufo fowleri. The American Naturalist 89:303-317.

Smith, Hobart M. 1956. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. Second edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (9):1-356.

Loomis, Richard B. 1956. The chigger mites of Kansas (Acarina, Trombiculidae). University of Kansas Science Bulletin 37:1195-1443.

Bellis, Edward D. 1957. The effects of temperature on salientian breeding calls. Copeia 1957(2):85-89.

Fitch, Henry S. 1958. Home ranges, territories, and seasonal movements of vertebrates of the Natural History Reservation. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History 11(3):63-326.

Blair, W. Frank. 1958. Mating call in the speciation of anuran amphibians. The American Naturalist 92(862):27-51.

Choate, Jerry R. 1967. Wildlife in the Wakarusa Watershed of Northeastern Kansas. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 46 pp.

Collins, Joseph T. 1974. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (1):283 pp.

Perry, Janice. 1975. A trip to southeastern Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (7):4.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1976. Field checklist (of) amphibians and reptiles of Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society, Lawrence.

Caldwell, Janalee P. and Gregory. Glass. 1976. Vertebrates of the Woodson County State Fishing Lake and Game Management Area. Pages 62-76 in Preliminary inventory of the biota of Woodson County State Fishing Lake and Game Management Area. Report No. 5. State Biological Survey of Kansas, Lawrence.

Grow, David. 1976. The KHS goes to Chetopa. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (13):2-3.

Miller, Larry L. 1976. KHS visits Elk County. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (15):1-2.

Rundquist, Eric M. and Joseph T. Collins. 1977. The amphibians of Cherokee County, Kansas. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 12 pp.

Perry, Janice. 1977. KHS members achieve goal: Get Cottonmouth. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (21):3-4.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1977. The Spring Peeper, Hyla crucifer Wied (Anura, Hylidae) in Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 80(3/4):155-8.

Curl, Richard L. 1978. Final Environmental Statement: Milford Lake Kansas operation and maintenance. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 158 pp.

Skie, Shelley and Martha Bickford. 1978. KHS takes to the field in July at Winfield. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (26):42798.

Perry, Janice. 1978. KHS successful at Miami County State Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (27):5.

Collins, Joseph T. and Janalee P. Caldwell. 1978. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1977. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 6:70-88.

Gray, Peter. 1979. Low attendance slows KHS. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (32):1.

Guarisco, Hank. 1979. Preliminary laboratory observations of predation by native Texas Garter Snakes upon hatchling Five-lined Skinks. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (32):7-8.

Spencer, Dwight. 1980. Spencer, D. 1980. Ross Natural History Reservation: the first twenty years, 1959 to 1979. Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas.. 64 pp.

Collins, Joseph T. 1980. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1979. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 9:1-11.

Glass, G. E., and N .A. Slade. 1980. The effect of Sigmodon hispidus on spatial and temporal activity of Microtus ochrogaster: Evidence for competition. Ecology 61:358-370.

Collins, Joseph T. 1982. Report to the Kansas Fish and Game Commission on the status of three amphibians in southeastern Kansas. Kansas Fish and Game Commission, Pratt. 57 pp.

Fitch, Henry S. 1982. Resources of a snake community in prairie-woodland habitat of northeastern Kansas. Pages 83-97 in Herpetological communities: A symposium of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Herpetologists League, August 1977. Wildlife Research Reports 12. 239 pp. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D. C.

Collins, Joseph T. 1982. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. 2nd edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (8).

Collins, Joseph T. 1983. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1982 . Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 13:9-21.

Brown, Kenneth L. 1984. Pomona: A plains village variant in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 519 pp.

Secor, Stephen M. and Charles C. Carpenter. 1984. Distribution maps of Oklahoma reptiles. Oklahoma Herpetological Society Special Publication (3):1-57.

Lynch, John D. 1985. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 13:33-57.

Coleman, Keith. 1987. Annual KHS Field Trip held at Atchison State Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (68):5-6.

Collins, Joseph T. 1988. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1987. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (71):13-19.

Collins, Joseph T. 1989. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1989. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (78):16-21.

Simon, Martin P. and Joseph H. Dorlac. 1990. The results of a faunistic survey of reptiles and amphibians of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 11 pp.

Collins, Joseph T. 1990. Maximum size records for Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):13-17.

Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. 1991. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.

Fitch, Henry S. 1991. Reptiles and amphibians of the Kansas ecological reserves. Pages 71-74 in Ecology and Hydrology of Kansas Ecological Reserves and the Baker Wetlands. Multidisciplinary Guidebook 4. Kansas Academy of Science, Lawrence, Kansas.

Collins, Joseph T. 1991. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (83):7-13.

Collins, Joseph T. 1991. Results of third Kansas herp count held during April-May 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (85):9-13.

Collins, Joseph T. 1992. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (87):12-17.

Taggart, Travis W. 1992. Observations on Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (88):13-15.

Collins, Joseph T. 1992. Results of the fourth Kansas herp count held during April-May 1992. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (89):10-.

Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. 1993. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. Third Edition. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Lawrence. 397 pp.

Collins, Joseph T. and Rundquist, Eric M. 1993. Results of the fifth Kansas herp count held during April-June 1993 . Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (94):7-11.

Viets, Brian E. 1993. An annotated list of the herpetofauna of the F. B., and Rena G. Ross Natural History Reservation. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 96(1/2):103-113.

Fitzgerald, Eve C. and Charles Nilon. 1994. Classification of habitats for endangered and threatened species in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt, Kansas. 98 pp.

Collins, Joseph T. 1994. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1993. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):15-19.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1994. Results of the sixth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):5-14.

Riedle, J. Daren. 1994. A survey of reptiles and amphibians at Montgomery County State Fishing Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (98):11-13.

Moriarty, Emily C. and Joseph T. Collins. 1995. First known occurrence of amphibian species in Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (100):28-30.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1995. Results of the seventh annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (101):11-17.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1995. Additional KHS herp counts for 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (102):11-.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1996. Results of the eighth annual KHS herp counts Held 1 April-31 May 1996. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (104):6-17.

Rakestraw, J. 1996. Spring herp counts: A Kansas tradition. Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (March-April):75-80.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1997. Addendum to 1997 KHS herp counts. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (109):14-15.

Collins, Joseph T. 1997. A report on the KHS fall field trip to the Marais des Cygnes wildlife refuges. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (110):2-3.

Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. 1998. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.

Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 1998. A Key to Amphibians & Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 131 pp.

Sanchiz, B. 1998. Handbuch der Palaoherpetologie. Part 4: Salientia. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munchen. 275 pp.

Gamble, Jerre. 1998. Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hartford, Kansas. 91 pp.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1998. Results of the tenth annual KHS herp counts for 1998, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (112):11-18.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1999. Kansas Herpetological Society herp counts: A 10 year summary and evaluation. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):42962.

Taggart, Travis W. 1999. Cherokee County fall 1999 herp count. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (117):6.

Rundquist, Eric M. 2000. Results of the eleventh and twelfth annual KHS herpetofaunal counts for 1999-2000, held 1 April-31 May. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):11-16.

Taggart, Travis W. 2000. Results of the KHS 2000 fall field trip. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (122):6-8.

Fitch, Henry S. 2001. Further study of the garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, in northeastern Kansas. Scientific Papers of the Natural History Museum, University of Kansas (19):1-6.

Taggart, Travis W. 2001. The KHS 2001 spring field trip: A rainy rendezvous. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):12-14.

Ellis, Mark R. 2001. Reproduction in the Common Garter Snake in Shawnee County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):12.

Rundquist, Eric M. 2001. Results of the thirteenth annual KHS herp counts for 2001, held 1 April-30 June. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):13-16.

Kingsbury, Bruce and Joanna Gibson. 2002. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Publication of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Address not given. 152 pp.

Fogell, Daniel D. 2002. Occurrence and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. Interim Report. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 6 pp.

Gubanyi, James E. 2002. Osage County herp count I. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):15.

Miller, Larry L. 2002. Osage County herp count II. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):15.

Miller, Larry L. 2002. Shawnee County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (4):15.

Masta, Susan E., Brian K. Sullivan, Trip Lamb, and Eric J. Routman. 2002. Molecular systematics, hybridization, and phylogeography of the Bufo americanus complex in eastern North America. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 24:302-314.

Holman, J. Alan. 2003. Fossil Frogs and Toads of North America. Indiana University Press, Bloomington. 246 pp.

Fogell, Daniel D. 2003. A herpetofaunal inventory of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 59 pp.

Suleiman, G. 2003. Fort Riley herpetofaunal count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):11-12.

Taggart, Travis W. 2003. KHS conducts first systematic road survey. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):11-12.

Taggart, Travis W. 2003. Results of the 2003 KHS spring field trip to Wilson County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):2-5.

Burr, Andrew. 2003. Coffey County herp count 1. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):7.

Volkmann, Al. 2003. Cowley County herp count 1. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):7.

Gubanyi, James E. 2003. Osage County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8.

Gubanyi, James E. 2003. Shawnee County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):9.

Taggart, Travis W. 2003. Results of the KHS 2003 fall field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (8):14-15.

Gubanyi, James E. 2004. Osage County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):11.

Gubanyi, James E. 2004. Wilson County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):12.

Pauly, Gregory B., David M. Hillis, and David C. Cannatella. 2004. The history of a Nearctic colonization: Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the Nearctic toads (Bufo). Evolution 58:2517-2535.

Lannoo, Michael (Editor). 2005. Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University fo California Press, Berkeley. 1115 pp.

Taggart, Travis W. 2005. Results of the KHS 2005 fall field trip [to Crawford County]. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (16):19-21.

Altig, Ronald, Roy W. McDiarmid, Kimberly A. Nichols, and Paul C. Ustach. 2006. Tadpoles of the United States and Canada: A Tutorial and Key. Electronic files accessible at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/tadpole/. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA. .

Taggart, Travis W. 2006. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106 pp.

Frost, Darrel R, Taran Grant, Julian Faivovich, Raoul H. Bain, Alexander Haas, Celio F. B. Haddad, Rafael O. De Sa, Alan Channing, Mark Wilkinson, Stephen C. Donnellan, Christopher J. Raxworthy, Jonathan A. Campbell, Boris L. Blotto, Paul Moler, Robert C. Drewes, Ronald A. Nussbaum, John D. Lynch, David M. Green, and Ward C. Wheeler. 2006. The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (297):370.

Anderson, Lewis R. and Joseph A. Arruda. 2006. Land use and anuran biodiversity in southeast Kansas, USA. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation 4(1):46-59.

Wilgers, Dustin J. and Eva A. Horne. 2006. Effects of different burn regimes on tallgrass prairie herpetofaunal species diversity and community composition in the Flint Hills, Kansas. Journal of Herpetology 40:73-84.

Wilgers, Dustin J., Eva A. Horne, Brett K. Sandercock, and Allan W. Volkmann. 2006. Effects of rangeland management on community dynamics of the herpetofauna of the tallgrass prairie. 62:378-388.

Pauly, Gregory B. 2008. Phylogenetic systematics, historical biogeography, and the evolution of vocalizations in Nearctic toads (Bufo). Dissertation. University of Texas, Austin. 165 pp.

Murrow, Daniel G. 2009. KHS 2009 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (29):42769.

Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. 2010. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas. Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400 pp.

Murrow, Daniel G. 2010. Kansas Herpetological Society spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (33):2-3.

McMartin, David C. 2011. U. S. Army 2011 Fort Leavenworth Herpetofaunal Survey: 23 April - 09 May 2011. Privately printed, Leavenworth, Kansas. 33 pp.

Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to be held in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7.

Taggart, Travis W. 2011. Results of the KHS Spring Field Trip to Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):2-4.

McMartin, D. Chris. 2011. Herp Count: Fort Leavenworth Herpetofaunal Survey for 2011. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):8-9.

Fontenot, Brian E., Robert Makowsky, Paul T. Chippindale. 2011. Nuclear-mitochondrial discordance and gene flow in a recent radiation of toads. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59:66-80.

Rohweder, Megan R. 2012. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151 pp.

Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 2012. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152 pp.

Dodd, C. Kenneth. 2013. Frogs of the United States and Canada. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 982 pp.

Bass, Neil. 2013. The Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Project: For the river, for you, and for herps. Collinsorum 2(1/2):10-11.

Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2012 Spring Field Trip to Bourbon County State Lake. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3.

Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Spring Field Trip to Schermerhorn Park, Cherokee County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):4.

Taggart, Travis W. 2013. KHS 2013 Summer Field Trip to Coldwater Lake, Comanche County. Collinsorum 2(3/4):5.

Mardis, Dexter and Kevin Scott. 2013. 2013 Kansas Herpetofaunal Counts. Collinsorum 2(3/4):7.

McMartin, D. Chris. 2014. Fort Leavenworth Heretofaunal Survey for 2013. Collinsorum 3(1):10.

Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Results of the 2014 KHS Fall Field Trip to Woodson County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):12.

Bass, Neil. 2015. Herpetological (Frog and Turtle) Inventories along the Missouri River in Kansas. Collinsorum 4(1):5-9.

Pittman, Galen L., Henry S. Fitch, and W. Dean Kettle. 2016. Vertebrate animals on the Fitch Natural History Reservation (1948-2002). Kansas Biological Survey Report Number 188, Lawrence. 48 pp.

Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. 2016. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494 pp.

Taggart, Travis W. 2016. Results of the KHS Summer field trip to Caney River, Chautauqua County, Kansas. Collinsorum 5(2-3):4-5.

O'Connor, David A. J. S. 2017. Effects of geographic range variation: Lessons from the impact of post-glacial geographic range expansion on the morphology, development and competitive interactions of the American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus). Dissertation. McGill University, Montreal, Canada. 182 pp.

Snyder, Ariel. 2017. Survey Of Anuran Chytrid (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in Kansas and the Influence of Anuran Life History in Occurrence. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 53 pp.

Taggart, Travis W. and J. Daren Riedle. 2017. A Pocket Guide to Kansas Amphibians, Turtles and Lizards. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, Kansas. 69 pp.

Crother, Brian I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102.

Mardis, Dexter R. 2017. Results from three Herpetofaunal tallies at Wichita State University’s Youngmeyer Ranch in Northwestern Elk County. Collinsorum 6(1):8-10.

Taggart, Travis W. 2017. Results of the 2017 KHS Spring Field Trip to Elk County, Kansas. Collinsorum 6(2-3):6-8.

Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. 2019. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192 pp.

Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. 2020. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86 pp.

Riedle, J. Daren. 2020. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data: Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16.

Hullinger, Allison, Zackary Cordes, Daren Riedle, and William Stark. 2020. Habitat assessment of the Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps) and the associated squamate community in eastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 123(1-2):137-150.

Wright, Jake T. 2021. Amphibian larvae distribution amongst intermittent stream pools in the flint hills covaries with vegetation and fish colonization. Thesis. Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas. 55 pp.

Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Neosho County: KHS-2020-01. Collinsorum 9(3):11.

Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Cherokee County: KHS-2020-02. Collinsorum 9(3):11-12.

Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Cherokee County: KHS-2020-03. Collinsorum 9(3):12.

Riedle, J. Daren, Tamera D. Riedle, Zachary Riedle, and Greya Riedle. 2021. Herp Count: Montgomery County: KHS-2020-23. Collinsorum 9(3):14-15.

Tyson, Kelsea, Lexis Mader, Thomas Zapletal, Jeremiah Cline, Alyssa Farney, Loegan Hill, Jainee Cowen, Camron Matteson, and David Penning. 2021. Measuring herpetofaunal biodiversity in southwest Missouri. Collinsorum 10(2):13-18.

Buckardt, Emma M. 2022. Amphibian Occupancy and Diversity on a Post-mined Landscape. Thesis. Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas. 93 pp.

Dodd, C. Kenneth. 2023. Frogs of the United States and Canada. Second Edition. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 1032 pp.

Sirsi, Shashwat, David Rodriguez, and Michael R. J. Forstner. 2024. Using genome‑wide data to ascertain taxonomic status and assess population genetic structure for Houston Toads (Bufo [=Anaxyrus] houstonensis). Scientific Reports 14(1):3306.

MacLaren, Andrew R., Toby J. Hibbitts, Michael R.J. Forstner, and Shawn F. McCracken. 2024. Morphology and vocalization comparison of the Houston Toad and the Dwarf American Toad: implications for their historic range. PeerJ 2024(17635):21.

Last Updated: 07/13/2025 12:27:08 PM CT

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Tuesday 09 June 2026 13:14 CT