Anaxyrus williamsi
(Gordon, Simandle, and Tracy, 2017)
AH-naks-EE-rus — WIL-yamz-eye
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
This isolated population was diagnosed with respect to other taxa and populations in the A. boreas group based on data from morphology and mitochondrial DNA. See comments under A. boreas.
(Mendelson, Joseph R., III, Darrel R. Frost, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, and Maureen A. Donnelly. 2025. Anura – Frogs. Pages 1-9 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2025.06.20.00.10.30)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.42 MB
Province/State Distribution:
United States: Nevada
Taxonomic Etymology:
The name combines classical Greek roots with a patronym honoring an individual:
Anaxyrus — From Greek: ἀνάξ (anax) = “lord” or “king”; ταῦρος (tauros) = “bull” (though not directly present in the name, it's likely implied in reference to the former genus Bufo, meaning "toad"). While the exact reasoning is not fully clarified in the genus description, Anaxyrus is often interpreted to mean “lordly toad” or “king of toads,” reflecting its large size or distinctive presence among North American toads.
williamsi — A patronym, honoring Robert Williams, for his significant role in supporting amphibian conservation in Nevada and California. The Latinized suffix -i indicates it is named after a male individual.
First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
Amphibian Species of the World
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1962
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Tihen, Joseph A. A review of new world fossil bufonids. American Midland Naturalist 68(1):1-50
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2004
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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
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2008
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Pauly, Gregory B. Phylogenetic systematics, historical biogeography, and the evolution of vocalizations in Nearctic toads (Bufo). Dissertation. University of Texas, Austin. 165pp.
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2017
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Gordon, Michelle R., Eric T. Simandle, and C. Richard Tracy A diamond in the rough desert shrublands of the Great Basin in the Western United States: A new cryptic toad species (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Bufo (Anaxyrus)) discovered in Northern Nevada. Zootaxa 4290(1):123–139
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2023
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Dodd, C. Kenneth. Frogs of the United States and Canada. Second Edition. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 1032pp.
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