Order Anura Higher classification Toads | Phylum Chordata Family Bufonidae Scientific name Bufo occidentalis Rank Species | |
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Similar Frog, Amphibians, True toad, Toads, Incilius mazatlanensis | ||
The pine toad (Incilius occidentalis, formerly Bufo occidentalis) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Mexico and found on the Central Mexican Plateau.
Contents
Taxonomy
The species was confused with Incilius mccoyi until that species was described in 2011.
Bufo intermedius
In 2016, the enigmatic Bufo intermedius, known only from old museum specimens supposedly collected from Ecuador and long suspected to be related to some Mexican species, was found to be synonym of Incilius occidentalis. The decisive piece of evidence were the stomach contents that revealed two beetle species that do not occur in Ecuador.
Bufo intermedius was described by Albert Günther in 1858, before Lorenzo Camerano described Bufo occidentalis (1879). Usually the older name has priority, but Joseph Mendelson and colleagues have applied to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) to conserve the name Bufo occidentalis Camerano.
Habitat and conservation
It is a common toad that lives in a wide variety of habitats, including lowland xeric scrubs, deciduous forest,coniferous forests, and oak forests. It can also occur in disturbed environments. Breeding takes place in streams, and desiccation, alteration and pollution of its breeding habitat is the main threat to this species.