THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Amphibia    Anura    Bufonidae  

Arroyo Toad
Anaxyrus californicus (Camp, 1915)
AH-naks-EE-rus — kal-ih-FOR-nih-kus

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.08.09.53.52)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.29 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: California

Taxonomic Etymology:
The name combines a classical Greek root with a Latinized geographic descriptor:
Anaxyrus — Derived from Ancient Greek: anax (ἄναξ) – “lord,” “master,” or “king”; uros (οὐρά) – though less directly relevant here, some suggest a derivation from this meaning “tail,” but this is debated and less likely. However, Anaxyrus is usually interpreted as a compound meaning something like: “King toad” or “lordly toad”. The "regal" tone likely reflects the toad’s robust and stately appearance. It may also be a nod to its representative or common status among North American toads.
californicus — From Latin: californicus = “of California” or “Californian” This is a straightforward geographic epithet indicating that the species is native to California (and nearby areas such as Baja California, Mexico). The suffix -icus is commonly used in Latin to form adjectives meaning “belonging to” or “associated with.”

First instance(s) of published English names:
Arroyo Toad (: Storer, Tracy I. 1925. A synopsis of the amphibia of California. University of California Publications in Zoology (27):1-342); California Toad (: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); Southern California Toad (Bufo californicus: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); Arroyo Toad (Bufo californicus: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); Mexican Arroyo Toad (: Frank, N. and E. Ramus. 1995. Complete Guide to Scientific and Common Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of the World. N. G. Publishing Inc., Pottsville, Pennsylvania. pp.); Arroyo Toad (Anaxyrus californicus: Frost, Darrel R., Roy W. McDiarmid, Joseph R. Mendelson III, and David M. Green. 2012. Anura - Frogs. Pages 11-22 in Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Herpetological Circular No. 39. pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
Amphibian Species of the World
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1915 Camp, Charles L. Batrachoseps major and Bufo cognatus californicus, new Amphibia from southern California. University of California Publications in Zoology 12:327-334
1988 Price, A. H., and B. K. Sullivan. Bufo microscaphus Cope. Southwestern Toad. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (415):1–3
1991 Collins, Joseph T. Viewpoint: A new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibins and reptiles Herpetological Review 22(2):42-43
1996 Sullivan, Brian K., K. B. Malmos, and M. F. Given. Systematics of the Bufo woodhousii complex (Anura: Bufonidae): Advertisement call variation. Copeia 1996(2):274-280
1998 Gergus, Erik W. A. Systematics of the Bufo microscaphus complex: Allozyme evidence. Herpetologica 54(3):317-325
2004 Pauly, Gregory B., David M. Hillis, and David C. Cannatella. The history of a Nearctic colonization: Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the Nearctic toads (Bufo). Evolution 58:2517-2535
2008 Pauly, Gregory B. Phylogenetic systematics, historical biogeography, and the evolution of vocalizations in Nearctic toads (Bufo). Dissertation. University of Texas, Austin. 165pp.
2014 Crother, Brian I. The bold taxonomic hypotheses of Collins (1991): 23 years later. Herpetological Review 45(2):268-272
2016 Peralta-Garcia, Anny, Dean H. Leavitt, Bradford D. Hollingsworth, and Tod W. Reeder. The phylogenetic position of the Little Mexican Toad, Anaxyrus kelloggi, using molecular data. Journal of Herpetology 50(3):471-475

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 15:55 CT