Subspecies
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No
subspecies are recognized. The status of
Bufo calamita alpestris Koch, 1872 is
debated; it is currently placed in
synonymy (see below).
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Synonyms
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Bufo calamita
Laurenti, 1768
Epidalea calamita (Laurenti, 1768)
Bufo viridis calamita (Laurenti, 1768)
Rana foetidissima Hermann, 1783
Rana portentosa Blumenbach, 1788
Bufo portentosa (Blumenbach, 1788)
Rana ecaudata Razoumowsky, 1789
Bufo cruciatus Schneider, 1799
Rana mephitica Shaw, 1802
Bufo cursor Daudin, 1803
Bufo calamita alpestris Koch, 1872
Rana fetidissima Boulenger, 1898
(unjustified emendation)
Bufo calamita has been placed in its
own genus Epidalea by Frost
et al. 2006. These authors argue
that the genus Bufo in its traditional
form is paraphyletic, because, in
their analysis, a small number of
"non-Bufo" species are grouped
together with the Bufo species, and a
couple of canonical Bufo species do
not group with the large bulk of Bufo
species.
This is not followed here for two
reasons:
(1) The phylogeny of the Bufonidae is
still unclear as recent studies do not
agree on a common phylogenetic pattern
(e.g. Stoeck
et al. 2006; Pramuk
et al. 2008). Most importantly,
in the analysis by Pramuk
et al. 2008 the Eurasian species
appear to form a well-defined
monophyletic group. This suggests that
the Eurasian species (including the
type species of Bufo) form a closely
related assemblage sharing a common
biogeographical history.
(2) The main duty of zoological
nomenclature is to ensure stability as
far as possible. Thus, even if one
accepts the phylogeny in Frost
et al. 2006, the easiest measure
to avoid paraphyletic groups and to
change as little as possible would be
to retain Bufo sensu lato, include
those few species that cluster within
it also into Bufo and distribute the
few Bufo species that do not cluster
with the bulk of Bufo to other genera.
The authors, however, erect or
resurrect a large number of genera and
thus split Bufo into numerous new or
resurrected genera, although they
state themselves that their results
are just a first step towards a better
understanding of Bufonidae phylogeny
and they expect it to change as more
work is done.
Therefore I do not adopt the splitting
of the Eurasian Bufo into numerous
genera until more data on the
phylogenetic interrelationships of the
Bufonidae is available.
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Identification
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No
information has been entered yet.
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Distribution
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Germany,
Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands,
Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia,
western part of Russia, Iberian
peninsula, France, Great Britain,
Denmark, Sweden (southern part), Latvia,
Lithuania.
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Biology
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No
information has been entered yet.
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