''Duttaphrynus himalayanus'', also known as the Himalaya toad, Himalayan toad, Himalayan broad-skulled toad, and Günther's high altitude toad (among others), is a species of

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

that is widely distributed throughout the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

n mountains. The Yunnanese populations are sometimes considered a separate species, ''Duttaphrynus cyphosus''.

Description

The crown is deeply concave, with low, blunt supraorbital ridges. The snout is short and blunt, the interorbital space is broader than the upper eyelid, and the tympanum is very small and rather indistinct. The first finger does not extend beyond the second, the toes are half or two-thirds webbed, with single subarticular tubercles, two moderate metatarsal tubercles, and no tarsal fold. The tarsometatarsal articulation reaches the anterior border of the eye or the tip of the snout. Upper parts have irregular, distinctly porous warts, the parotoids are very prominent, large, and elongated, at least as long as the head. They are uniform brown in color. Males do not have vocal sacs.Boulenger, G. A. (1890) Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia From snout to vent, they measure .

Distribution and habitat

This species is found from

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

in Pakistan through northern India and adjacent Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal to southern and central

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

and northwestern

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

in China. Its range might extend into Myanmar. It occurs at the elevations of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. It inhabits mountain forests and shrubland near streams, and also is found in the vicinity of seepages and fields. This high-altitude species can also occur in the evergreen forests of the foothills. It is largely a terrestrial toad. Breeding takes place in hill streams, small pools, and puddles.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2706221 himalayanus Amphibians of Bangladesh Amphibians of Bhutan Frogs of China Frogs of India Amphibians of Nepal Amphibians of Pakistan Fauna of Tibet Amphibians described in 1864 Taxa named by Albert Günther