It is a medium to large-sized anuran amphibian, with a robust, stocky body and thick, distinctly warty skin, adapted to reduce water loss. Coloration is variable, typically brownish, grayish, or olive, often with darker markings that enhance camouflage. It features well-developed parotoid glands behind the eyes that secrete defensive substances, and prominent eyes with horizontal pupils, typical of mainly nocturnal species.
Geographic distribution: It is widely distributed across central and southern South America, occurring throughout much of Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and parts of Bolivia. In Argentina, it is among the most common toad species, present from lowlands to moderately elevated regions.
Habitat: It inhabits a broad range of terrestrial environments, including grasslands, agricultural fields, open woodlands, urban areas, and peri-urban settings. Although primarily terrestrial, it relies on temporary or permanent water bodies for breeding, such as ponds, ditches, lagoons, and stream margins, showing high tolerance to human-altered landscapes.
Diet: It is an opportunistic carnivore, feeding mainly on insects, spiders, earthworms, and other invertebrates. Its diet varies according to local prey availability, playing an important ecological role in regulating arthropod populations.
Behavior: This species exhibits mostly nocturnal and crepuscular activity, remaining hidden during daylight hours under natural or artificial shelters. It is generally non-territorial and solitary outside the breeding season. When threatened, it may inflate its body and release skin toxins as a defensive response.
Reproduction: Breeding takes place mainly during warm and rainy periods. Males produce loud advertisement calls to attract females, often forming breeding aggregations in water bodies. Females lay long gelatinous strings of eggs in the water, from which tadpoles hatch and complete metamorphosis within a few weeks, depending on environmental conditions.
Conservation status: It is currently classified as Least Concern, due to its wide distribution, abundance, and adaptability. However, local populations may be impacted by water pollution, agrochemical use, and road mortality.
Author of this compilation: EcoRegistros – 12/12/2025