Egg mass deposition by Arizona toads, Bufo microscaphus, along a narrow canyon stream

Declining amphibian populations in the arid southwestern United States have prompted increased efforts to understand the reproductive behavior of desert anurans, particularly those species in restricted habitats (Sullivan 1989, Corn 1994). The Arizona toad, Bufo microscaphus, is confined in southwestern Utah to tributaries of the Virgin River drainage (Price and Sullivan 1988). Like most desert anurans, B. microscaphus is an explosive breeder (Wells 1977, Sullivan 1992); however, unlike many other toads, which deposit their eggs in still ponds and lakes, it prefers to lay eggs in the flowing water of a perennial or semi-permanent stream. Water quality and breeding behavior are influenced by many physical and biological...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: Bufo microscaphus, Western North American Naturalist, breeding site selection, dispersion