Adults range in length from 29-44 mm for females and 29-36 mm in males. Dorsal coloration is yellowish brown with many large black blotches which often form elongate spots. Ventral coloration is yellowish white with black spots across the pectoral region and along the lateral portion of the abdomen. The dorsal and lateral surfaces of the body are covered by numerous large conical tubercles. The chin is diffuse black in males with a well developed vocal sac. The parotoids are large, but low and relatively inconspicuous, with diffuse, dark pointed warts. Dark-tipped warts form a continuous ridge along the cranial crest.
Distribution and Habitat
Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Mexico
Anaxyrus kelloggi is found primarily in the narrow Pacific Coastal Plain of western Mexico. It commonly inhabits the open, flat areas of the thorn forest and deciduous tropical forests below 700 ft in elevation.
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
These toads call from the edges of ponds, either in the water or a few centimeters from it. Eggs are laid singly or in short strands. They share a zone of sympatry with A. retiformis, and studies suggest A. retiformis may be replacing A. kelloggi to the south and west of Hermosilla due to agriculture-mediated habitat changes.
Hulse, A. C. (1963). ''Bufo kelloggi.'' Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 200.1-200.2.
Written by April Robinson (holden AT uclink4.berkeley.edu), UC Berkeley
First submitted 2001-01-29
Edited by Kellie Whittaker (2012-08-15)
Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2012 Anaxyrus kelloggi: Little Mexican Toad <http://amphibiaweb.org/species/212> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Sep 22, 2019.
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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2019. <http://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 22 Sep 2019.
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