''Phrynoidis juxtasper'', also known as the giant river toad or Borneo river toad, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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 ...

in the family

Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * C ...

. It is found in

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

(

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

) and

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

(Indonesia) below asl. Prior to its

species description A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it diff ...

, it was confused with ''

Phrynoidis asper The Asian giant toad (''Phrynoidis asper''), sometimes referred to as the river toad, is a species of true toad native to Mainland Southeast Asia and the Greater Sundas. It is a medium-large toad, but it is easily confused with its larger relati ...

'' (hence the

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''juxtasper'', from Latin ''juxta-'' meaning "near to").

Description

''Phrynoidis juxtasper'' are large toads: males grow to and females to in snout–vent length. Habitus is stocky, but the limbs are relatively long. The snout is obtusely pointed. The tympanum is distinct. Supratympanic bony crests are thick and the

parotoid gland The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of some frogs (especially toads), and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known ...

s are large. Skin bears large, round warts; ventral skin is granular. Warts of head, trunk, and limbs have melanic spinules on their tips. Toes have extensive webbing. These toads can secrete large amounts of highly toxic, milky poison from their warts when disturbed. Eggs and

tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s are also poisonous.

Habitat and conservation

Natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s of ''Phrynoidis juxtasper'' are primary and secondary forests, often along rocky creeks and riverbanks. They are good swimmers and jumpers. ''Phrynoidis juxtasper'' is a relatively adaptable species that is not facing significant threats. Large specimens are occasionally hunted for food.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1941866 juxtasper Amphibians of Borneo Fauna of Sumatra Amphibians of Brunei Amphibians of Indonesia Amphibians of Malaysia Amphibians described in 1964 Taxa named by Robert F. Inger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN