Kingdom Animalia Genus Scutiger Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Family Megophryidae Scientific name Scutiger boulengeri Higher classification Scutiger Order Frog | |
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Similar Scutiger, Frog, Scutiger nyingchiensis, Megophryidae, Duttaphrynus himalayanus | ||
Scutiger boulengeri (common names: Boulenger's lazy toad, Boulenger's high altitude toad, Himalayan stream frog, and Xizang alpine toad) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in Nepal, India (Sikkim) and western China (Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, Qinghai, and Tibet). A healthy population has been found at an elevation of 5,270 m (17,290 ft) in one of the lakes in the Gurudongmar Lake complex in Sikkimese Himalaya. This is one of the highest elevations where amphibians have ever been recorded (Pleurodema marmoratum has been recorded higher at the Andes).
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Description
Scutiger boulengeri males measure about 45–55 mm (1.8–2.2 in) and females about 50–62 mm (2.0–2.4 in) in snout–vent length. The head is flat, wider than long and with a rounded snout. The eyes are protruding. The tympanum is indistinct; the supratympanal fold is present. The dorsum is olive or greenish-grey with numerous warts. The ventrum is yellowish. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes have rudimentary webbing.
Tadpoles grow to a length of about 60 mm (2.4 in).
Habitat and conservation
Scutiger boulengeri is an alpine species living near streams and lakes in grassland habitats at elevations of 3,300–5,270 m (10,830–17,290 ft) above sea level. They hibernate in loose soil from September to March or April.
Scutiger boulengeri is a very common species but potentially threatened by diversion of water for agriculture, pollution from agrochemicals, and overgrazing. However, it is not considered threatened overall.