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Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas

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Great Plains Toad

Anaxyrus cognatus (Say in James, 1822)

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Overview
The Great Plains Toad (Anaxyrus cognatus) is distinguished by dry skin, a rounded snout, prominent kidney-shaped parotoid glands behind each eye, and well-developed cranial crests that converge anteriorly to form a flat, raised boss on the snout. Dorsally, it exhibits large, dark blotches—black, dark green, or brown—outlined in pale cream or yellow, each containing numerous small warts. A narrow middorsal light stripe may be present. The hind limbs are distinctly banded; forelimbs are either banded or spotted. The venter is cream to yellow, typically with few or no markings on the chest.
Sexual dimorphism is evident: females are larger, while breeding males possess darkened throats and keratinized nuptial pads on the innermost fingers.
Adults typically range from 50–85 mm (2–3⅜ in) in snout–vent length. The largest recorded specimen from Kansas is a 102 mm (4 in) female (KU 186099) collected by Jeff Ehlers in Sumner County on 23 June 1980. The maximum reported size across the species’ range is 115 mm (4½ in) (Powell et al. 2016).

Distribution
Occurs throughout western Kansas, extending eastward to the edge of the Flint Hills. Additionally, it follows riparian corridors along the Kansas River and northward along the Missouri River. Historical records from southern Douglas and northwestern Miami counties—each over 50 years old—require verification.

Reproduction
The Great Plains Toad (Anaxyrus cognatus) inhabits upland short- and mixed-grass prairies and is rarely found in wooded regions. In eastern Kansas, it also occurs on open floodplains. Like most Anaxyrus, it remains subterranean during daylight hours, emerging on warm summer nights to forage. Tihen (1937) reported that individuals in Cowley County excavated question mark-shaped burrows in bare, sandy soils, with the toad resting at the terminal curve. He also found a specimen 700–800 ft inside a cave in Butler County.
Active from April through September, A. cognatus overwinters below ground. Breeding is opportunistic and closely tied to rainfall and temperature. Males begin chorusing at temporary upland pools as early as late March, and breeding may continue into early summer. Collins (1974) observed breeding activity on the Kansas River floodplain in Douglas County, although such habitats may present interspecific competition. Under favorable conditions, females may produce two clutches per season. Irwin and Collins (1987) reported chorusing at Cheyenne Bottoms, Barton County, on 2 June.
Amplexus occurs at breeding sites, with males clasping females below the forelimbs. Eggs are deposited in long strings and fertilized externally. A single female may lay up to 20,000 eggs. After hatching, larvae develop in aquatic habitats until metamorphosis.
Diet consists primarily of small invertebrates. Hartman (1906) identified snout beetles and dung beetles in Kansas specimens; Smith (1934, 1956) noted ants as another dietary component. Like other toads, A. cognatus is likely a generalist insectivore, consuming any suitably sized live prey.

Remarks
Anaxyrus cognatus was first reported in Kansas by Cragin (1880). The earliest extant specimen (MCZ 2041) was collected by Francis Cragin “near Manhattan, Kan.” and accessioned by the Museum of Comparative Zoology circa 1879.
Smith (1946) described the tadpoles of this species from a series collected at Meade County State Park. Gloyd (1929) reported an adult female from Riley County, collected at approximately 10:00 PM on 12 July 1928 along a small road near the Blue River northeast of Manhattan.
In Douglas County, Collins (1974) documented A. cognatus breeding alongside Anaxyrus americanus and A. woodhousii, suggesting possible hybridization with one or both species.
Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum captive longevity of 10 years, 8 months, and 10 days for this species.

References

James, Edwin. 1822 "1823". Account of an expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed in the years 1819 and ‘20, by order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Sec’y of War: under the command of Major Stephen H. Long. From the notes of Major Long, Mr. T. Say, and other gentlemen of the exploring party. Compiled by Edwin James, botanist and geologist for the expedition. In two vols. – with an atlas. [Volume 2]. Henry Charles Carey and Isaac Lea, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 442, with supplementary chapters and an appendix. pp.

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.

Garman, Samuel. 1887. Reptiles and batrachians from Texas and Mexico. Bulletin of the Essex Institute 19:119-138.

Dickerson, Mary C. 1906. The Frog Book; North American Toads and Frogs, with Study of the Habits and Life Histories of Those of the Northeastern States. Doubleday, Page & Company, New York, New York. 253 pp.

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

Storer, Tracy I. 1925. A synopsis of the amphibia of California. University of California Publications in Zoology (27):1-342.

Burnett, William L. 1926. Notes on Colorado herpetology. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology and Entomology 1(1):1-4.

Taylor, Edward H. 1929. List of reptiles and batrachians of Morton County, Kansas, reporting species new to the state fauna. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 19(6):63-65.

Gloyd, Howard K. 1929. Two additions to the herpetological fauna of Riley County, Kansas. Science 66(1776):44.

Frost, Nancy. 1931. A comparative study of the urogenital systems of forty-two species of North American anurans. Thesis. University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario. 76 pp.

Kellogg, Remington. 1932. Mexican tailless amphibians in the United States National Museum . Bulletin of the United States National Museum (160):1-224.

Stejneger, Leonhard H. and Thomas Barbour. 1933. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 3rd Edition. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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.

Brennan, Lawrence A. 1934. A check list of the amphibians and reptiles of Ellis County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 37:189-191.

Brennan, Lawrence A. 1935. Notes on the distribution of Amphibia and Reptilia of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 114 pp.

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

Brennan, Lawrence A. 1937. A study of the habitat of reptiles and amphibians of Ellis County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 40:341-347.

Tihen, Joseph A. and James M. Sprague. 1939. Amphibians, reptiles, and mammals of the Meade County State Park. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 42:499-512.

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.

Hudson, G. E. 1942. The amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Nebraska Conservation Bulletin 24:1-146.

Marr, John C. 1944. Notes on amphibians and reptiles from the central United States. The American Midland Naturalist 32(2):478-490.

Smith, Hobart M. 1946. The tadpoles of Bufo cognatus Say. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History 1(3):93-96.

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

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.

Smith, Ronald E. 1958. Natural history of the Prairie Dog in Kansas. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous Publications (16):1-36.

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

Gish, Charles D. 1962. The Herpetofauna of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 34 pp.

Tihen, Joseph A. 1962. A review of new world fossil bufonids. The American Midland Naturalist 68(1):1-50.

Smith, Hobart M., T. Paul Maslin, and Robert L. Brown. 1965. Summary of the distribution of the herpetofauna of Colorado: A Supplement to An Annotated Check List of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Colorado. University of Colorado Studies Series in Biology (15):56.

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

Gier, Herschel T. 1967. Vertebrates of the Flint Hills. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 70(1):51-59.

Wilson, Richard L. 1968. Systematics and faunal analysis of a Lower Pliocene vertebrate assemblage from Trego County, Kansas. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 22:75-126.

Tyler, Jack D. 1969. Distribution and vertebrate associates of the black-tailed prairie dog in Oklahoma. Dissertation. University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. 85 pp.

Holman, J. Alan. 1971. Herpetofauna of the sandahl local fauna (Pleistocene: Illinoian) of Kansas. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 23(22):349-355.

Rogers, J. S. 1972. Discriminate function analysis of morphological relationships within the Bufo cognatus species group. 1972(2):381-383.

Rogers, James S. 1973. Biochemical and morphological analysis of potential introgression between Bufo cognatus and B. speciosus. 90(1):127-142.

Rogers, James S. 1973. Protein polymorphism, genic heterozygosity and divergence in the toads Bufo cognatus and B. speciosus. 1973(2):322-330.

Eshelman, Ralph E. 1974. Geology and paleontology of the early Pleistocene Belleville Formation of north central Kansas. Dissertation. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 137 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. 1974. KHS members take trip to southwest Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (3):2-3.

Fleharty, Eugene D. and Jerry D. Johnson. 1974. Distributional records of herptiles from the Chautauqua Hills of southeastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 77(1):65-67.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1975. Amphibians and Reptiles of Kingman County, Kansas. Privately Printed, Lawrence, Kansas. 3 pp.

Taylor, Edward H., A. Byron Leonard, Hobart M. Smith, and George R. Pisani. 1975. Edward H. Taylor: Recollections of an Herpetologist . Monograph of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas (4):1-159.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1975. First KHS field trip yields three county records. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (7):1-3.

Eshelman, Ralph E. 1975. Geology and paleontology of the early Pleistocene (late Blancan) White Rock fauna from northcentral Kansas. University of Michigan Museum of Palenontology, Papers on Paleontology. (13):60.

Holman, J. Alan. 1975. Herpetofauna of the WaKeeney local fauna (Lower Pliocene: Clarendionian) of Trego County, Kansas. Pages 49-66 in Studies on Cenozoic Paleontology and Stratigraphy in honor of Claude W. Hibbard. Museum of Paleontology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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

Capron, Marty B. and Jan Perry. 1976. A July weekend in Great Bend. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (14):1-2.

Knight, James L. and Joseph T. Collins. 1977. The amphibians and reptiles of Cheyenne County, Kansas, Report Number 15. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 19 pp.

Trott, Gene. 1977. Chikaskia River wildlife study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (19):2-3.

Irwin, Kelly J. 1977. KHS Ottawa County meeting profitable. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (20):1-2.

Stegall, Eddie. 1977. First Strecker's Chorus Frog collected in Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (21):11-13.

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

Warner, M. and R. Wencel. 1978. Chikaskia River study held near Caldwell. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (25):15-16.

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.

Martin, Larry D. 1979. Survey of fossil vertebrates from east-central Kansas: Kansas River bank stabilization study. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 55 pp.

Ports, Mark A. 1979. Occurrence and density studies of nongame wildlife in southwestern Kansas - May 16-August 16, 1979. Kansas Fish and Game Commission, Pratt, Kansas. 83 pp.

Gray, Peter and Eddie Stegall. 1979. A field trip to the Red Hills. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (29):6-8.

Miller, Larry L. 1979. Life in Kansas and Oklahoma once again threatened by pesticides. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (31):7.

Collins, Joseph T. 1979. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1978. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 8:56-66.

Clarke, Robert F. 1980. Herptiles and fishes of the western Arkansas River in Kansas. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 55 pp.

Guarisco, Hank. 1980. Record size Great Plains Toad collected in Sumner County. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (38):5.

Kunz, T. H., J. R. Choate, and S. B. George. 1980. Distributional records for three species of mammals in Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 83:74-77.

Collins, Joseph T. 1981. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1980. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 10:7-19.

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

Trott, Gene. 1983. Chikaskia River wildlife study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (52):3-4.

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.

Heinrich, Mark L. 1984. Herpetofauna of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in the Flint Hills region of Kansas with respect to habitat selection. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 57 pp.

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

Collins, Joseph T. 1984. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1983. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (56):15-26.

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

Holman, J. Alan. 1986. Butler Spring herpetofauna of Kansas (Pleistocene: Illinoian) and its climatic significance. Journal of Herpetology 20(4):568-569.

Nulton, Michael T. and Michael S. Rush. 1988. New county records of amphibians and reptiles in Gray County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (74):10-12.

Collins, Joseph T. 1989. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1988. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (75):15-18.

Collins, Joseph T. 1990. Results of second Kansas herp count held during April-May 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):10-12.

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

Krupa, James J. 1990. Bufo cognatus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (457):1-8.

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.

Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. 1991. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Cimarron National Grasslands, Morton County, Kansas. U. S. Forest Service, Elkhart, Kansas. 60 pp.

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.

Ford, Kenneth M. III 1992. Herpetofauna of the Albert Ahrens Local Fauna (Pleistocene: Irvingtonian), Nebraska. Thesis. Michigan State University, Lansing, Michigan. 44 pp.

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

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

Taggart, Travis W. 1992. Results of the KHS annual field trip to Sheridan County State Lake. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (90):3-4.

Young, Eugene A. 1993. A Survey of the Vertebrates of Slate Creek Salt Marsh, Sumner County, Kansas, with an Emphasis on Waterbirds. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 189 pp.

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.

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.

Holman, J. Alan. 1995. Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles. Oxford University Press, New York. 243 pp.

Anderson, Lewis, Mark Shaw, Jeff Blodig, and Tom Walker. 1995. Report to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks: Herps encountered during REmap project, summer 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (99):10-17.

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-.

Young, Eugene A. and Max C. Thompson. 1996. Waterbird usage of the Warner Marsh, Slate Creek Wetlands, Sumner County, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 80 pp.

Collins, Joseph T. 1996. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1995. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (103):13-15.

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.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1996. Notes on the natural history of some Kansas amphibians and reptiles: Parasites. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (105):16-17.

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

Dundee, Harold A. 1996. Some reallocations of type localities of reptiles and amphibians described from the Major Stephen H. Long Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, with comments on some of the statements made in the account written by Edwin James. Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany 30:75–89.

Rundquist, Eric M. 1997. Results of the ninth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1997. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):12-17.

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

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.

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.

Collins, Joseph T. 2000. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1999. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (119):7-9.

Doren, Van, Mark D., and Curtis J. Schmidt. 2000. A herpetological survey of the Fort Larned National Historic Site, Pawnee County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (120):8-11.

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.

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.

Collins, Joseph T. 2002. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 2001. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (1):10-11.

Ellis, Mark R. 2002. Fall 2002 KHS field trip to Washington County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):4-5.

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. Kansas Herpetological Society 2003 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):3-4.

Miller, Larry L. 2003. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):10.

Taggart, Travis W. 2003. Logan County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (7):8.

Delisle, Jennifer M. and William H. Busby. 2004. Biological inventory for vertebrates at Fort Larned National Historic Site of the southern plains network. Natural Heritage Inventory, Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 61 pp.

Taggart, Travis W. 2004. Kansas Herpetological Society 2004 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (9):2.

Miller, Larry L. 2004. Sumner County herp count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):11-12.

Schmidt, Curtis J. 2004. Geographic distribution: Bufo cognatus. Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (11):13.

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.

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. Addendum report to biological inventory of the sandsage prairie near Holcomb, Kansas. Sunflower Electric Cooperative, Hays, Kansas. 31 pp.

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.

Taggart, Travis W., Joseph T. Collins, and Curtis J. Schmidt. 2007. Estimates of amphibian, reptile, and turtle mortality if Phostoxin is applied to 10,000 acres of prairie dog burrows in Logan County, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 5 pp.

Taggart, Travis W. 2007. A biological inventory of the Sunflower Electric Site near Holcomb, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology 23:11-16.

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

Schmidt, Curtis J. 2008. Geographic distribution: Anaxyrus cognatus. Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (27):7.

Lahti, Megan E. 2010. The status of dwarfed populations of Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) and Great Plains Toads (Anaxyrus cognatus) in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. Dissertation. Utah State University, Logan, Utah. 178 pp.

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

Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. 2011. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of the Cimarron National Grassland, Kansas. Second (Revised) Edition. U. S. Forest Service.

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 Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 Summer Field Trip to Scott State Park. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):2.

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.

Miller, Larry L. 2013. Wellington Lake Herpetological Survey. Collinsorum 2(1/2):12.

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

Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Results of the 2014 KHS Spring Field Trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 3(2-4):11.

Taggart, Travis W. 2014. Results of the 2014 KHS summer field trip to Morton County and adjacent Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Collinsorum 3(2-4):12.

Brown, Kasandra A. 2015. Occupancy Modeling Of Herpetofauna And Grassland Nesting Birds At Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 72 pp.

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

Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Spring Field Trip to the Greenhorn Limestone of Russell County. Collinsorum 4(3):2.

Taggart, Travis W. 2015. Summer Field Trip In The Harvey County Sandhills. Collinsorum 4(3):3.

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. Spring 2016 KHS field trip to Clark County was a soggy success. Collinsorum 5(2-3):2-3.

Taggart, Travis W. 2016. Results of the KHS ‘Fall’ field trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 5(2-3):6-7.

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.

Goldberg, Stephen R. 2018. Notes on reproduction of Great Plains Toads, Anaxyrus cognatus (Anura: Bufonidae), from southern Arizona. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 53(6):131-134.

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.

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Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Comanche County: KHS-2020-15. Collinsorum 9(3):13-14.

Taggart, Megan M. and Travis W. Taggart. 2021. Herp Count: Seward County: KHS-2020-27. Collinsorum 9(3):15.

Taggart, Travis W. 2021. Herp Count: Harper County: KHS-2020-26. Collinsorum 9(3):15.

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

Russell, Elisabeth. 2023. Habitat associations and fine-scale movements of the Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) in Kansas and the efficacy of remote telemetry for monitoring small-scale movements. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 81 pp.

Last Updated: 01/10/2026 8:18:36 PM CT

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