Smooth-sided Toad

About the Smooth-sided Toad

The smooth-sided toad (Rhaebo guttatus), also known commonly as the spotted toad, is a species of amphibian in the family Bufonidae. It is native to the Amazon basin of South America. The first description of the species was published in 1799 by Johann Gottlob Schneider, who placed it in the genus Bufo. Edward Drinker Cope moved the species to the genus Rhaebo in 1865.

The species taxonomic status is unclear, as it is likely that Rhaebo guttatus as currently defined actually encompasses several distinct species of toad. Rhaebo glaberrimus was for a time considered a subspecies of Rhaebo guttatus. Some specimens from southern Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil that were considered to belong to the species may actually represent Rhaebo ecuadorensis, the first description of which was published in 2012.

Males growth to about 15 cm (5.9 in) snout–vent length. Females are larger, at up to 17.4 cm (6.9 in), possibly even 25 cm (10 in), in snout–vent length. The dorsal color is cream colored or very light brown to reddish brown. The belly is a darker shade. The species has a characteristically prominent preocular ridge that is present even in juveniles.

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