Bufo melanostictus

Abstract: The male reproductive cycle of the toad, Bufo melanostictus, was studied with emphasis on spermatogenic activity, plasma androgen, and changes in the weights of testes, liver, and fat bodies. A total of 98 toads were collected between March 1990 and March 1991 in central Taiwan. Histological evidence indicated that the spermatogenic cycle of this toad is of a fluctuating continuous type. Although cell nests of all spermatogenic types were present every month of the year, the greatest intensity of spermatogenic activity, as expressed by the presence of sperm bundles, occurred in March. Both testicular weight and plasma androgen levels peaked in March. The weights of fat bodies peaked in July, which was not coincident with the beginning of breeding. Combined data from spermatogenic activity, plasma androgen levels, and changes in the weights of testes, fat bodies, and livers revealed that B. melanostictus is a continuous breeder. However, its annual reproductive cycle could be divided into 4 period...

Abstract: The gut contents of 160 Bufo melanostictus showed that this toad feeds on a wide range of invertebrates of which insects form the greater part. Feeding was confined to ground and litter-dwelling forms but was apparently unselective. All forms within a size range of 5.0-20.0 mm were ingested, including such forms as scorpions. The prey smaller than 5.0 mm showed less diversity, suggesting that these forms are less easily distinguished by the toad. Differences occur between the diets of toads from the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Ampang area near Kuala Lumpur. These differences may be related to differences in the faunas of the two localities. The intake of vegetable material seems too great to be explained by accidental ingestion, but the intake of inorganic material may have been an accidental result of feeding on organic detritus.

Abstract: Acanthocephalus bufonis (Shipley, 1903) Southwell and Macfie, 1925 is redescribed on the basis of specimens collected from the black-spotted toad, Bufo melanostictus Schneider, 1799, from Indonesia...