European spadefoot toad

Taxobox
name = European Spadefoot Toads


image_width = 300px
image_caption = "Pelobates fuscus"
fossil_range = Fossil range/Sandbox|46|0Mid Eocene – Recent
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Amplaphier
subordo = Mesobatrachia
familia = Pelobatidae
genus = "Pelobates"
subdivision_ranks = Species
range_

---

range_map_width = 300px
range_map_caption = The distribution of Pelobatidae (in black).
subdivision = "Pelobates cultripes"
"Pelobates fuscus"
"Pelobates syriacus"
"Pelobates varaldii"

The European spadefoot toads are a family of frogs, the Pelobatidae, with only one genus "Pelobates", containing four species. They are native to Europe, the Mediterranean, northwestern Africa and western Asia.

The European spadefoot toads are small to large sized frogs, up to convert|10|cm|in in length, which are often inconspicuously coloured. They are predominantly fossorial (burrowing) frogs, which burrow in sandy soils. They have a hardened protrusion on their feet to aid in digging, which is the source of the common name. They will emerge from the ground during periods of rain and breed in pools, which are usually temporary.

All of the species from this family have free-living, aquatic tadpoles. The eggs are laid in temporary ponds that may quickly evaporate, so tadpole stage is unusually brief, with rapid development to the adult form in as little as two weeks. To further speed their growth, some of the tadpoles are cannibalistic, eating their brood-mates to increase their supply of protein.cite book |editor=Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G.|author= Zweifel, Richard G.|year=1998|title=Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians|publisher= Academic Press|location=San Diego|pages= 88|isbn= 0-12-178560-2]

Taxonomy

The seven species of American Spadefoot Toads (genera "Scaphiopus" and "Spea") were previously also included into the Pelobatidae family, but are now generally regarded as the separate family Scaphiopodidae.

Family Pelobatidae
* Genus "Pelobates
** Western Spadefoot Toad ("Pelobates cultripes")
** Common Spadefoot ("Pelobates fuscus")
** Eastern Spadefoot Toad ("Pelobates syriacus")
[Tron, François (2005): The Eastern spadefoot Toad (Pelobates syriacus): A new amphibian species for Lebanon]
** Moroccan Spadefoot Toad ("Pelobates varaldii")

The earliest fossil genus of pelobatids, "Elkobatrachus", was described in 2006. [http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.2992%2F0097-4463(2006)75%5B11%3AEBANPA%5D2.0.CO%3B2 Bioone.org] ]

References

*cite journal
last = Gissi
first = Carmela
title = Mitochondrial phylogeny of Anura (Amphibia): A case study of congruent phylogenetic reconstruction using amino acid and nucleotide characters
doi = 10.1016/j.gene.2005.07.034
journal = Gene
volume = 366
pages = 228–237
year = 2006
month = February
coauthors = Diego San Mauro, Graziano Pesole and Rafael Zardoya
*cite journal
last = Roelants
first = Kim
title = Archaeobatrachian paraphyly and pangaean diversification of crown-group frogs
journal = Systematic Biology
volume = 54
pages = 111–126
year = 2005
month = February
coauthors = Franky Bossuyt
doi = 10.1080/10635150590905894
*cite journal
last = San Mauro
first = Diego
title = Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea
url = http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AN/journal/issues/v165n5/40546/40546.html
journal = American Naturalist
volume = 165
pages = 590–599
year = 2005
month = May
coauthors = Miguel Vences, Marina Alcobendas, Rafael Zardoya and Axel Meyer
doi = 10.1086/429523
format = Dead link|date=May 2008