Added 3 January 2005.

Family BOMBINATORIDAE - Typical Frogs

Genus BOMBINA - Fire-Bellied Toads

The largest genus in the Bombinatoridae comprises eight species, two of which have only recently been named. The genus has a fairly wide but disparate distribution, comprising a small number of European species and the rest which are found in China and Asia.

These are small but on the whole fairly hardy toads of (on average) 5cm in length. The common name derives from their brightly coloured ventral surfaces, which they display using the so-called "Unken reflex" when adopting a defensive posture. The intent is to scare away a predator by a sudden display of colour. This is not just bluff: the poison glands of Bombina secrete a substance that is irritating to humans and can be lethal to other amphibians [Lang].

Of the Bombina species, two or three are fairly regularly found within the pet trade: B. bombina, B. orientalis and, to a lesser degree, B. variegata. B. maxima may sometimes be seen. European species are probably protected in the wild, so the temptation to collect without checking for necessary paperwork (if collecting is permitted at all) should be resisted.

  QUICK INDEX  
B. bombina, Fire-Bellied Toad B. fortinuptialis, Spined Bell Toad B. lichuanensis, Lichuan Bell Toad
B. maxima, Large Webbed Bell Toad B. microdeladigitora, Small Webbed Bell Toad B. orientalis, Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad
B. pachypus, Appennine Yellow-Bellied Toad B. variegata, Yellow-Bellied Toad  

Scientific Name Common Name Distribution Size Notes
B. bombina Fire-Bellied Toad Europe 4-5cm Despite the similarity between this and B. variegata, they are found at different altitudes, B. bombina being found primarily at low altitudes in still water (small pools, marsh waters, ponds and large lakes), where it frequents vegetation in or besides the water. It is a good diver and preys mainly on aquatic arthropods, including all stages of the mosquito. If the water source dries up, these toads can survive by sheltering in fissures in the mud and preying on terrestrial arthropods. Despite its large range, the Fire-Bellied Toad does not have any subspecies: nevetheless in some areas it overlaps with the Yellow-Bellied Toad, and sometimes hybrids are found. For such a small toad B. bombina is surprisingly vocal during the mating season (May-July): unlike the males of B. variegata, male Fire-Bellied Toads have a subcutaneous vocal sac, noticeable only when inflated. Colouring differs from that of the Yellow-Bellied Toad, not only in being red as opposed to yellow but also in the Fire-Bellied Toad having darker spots on its back and having a greater area of dark colouring on the abdomen. The shapes of the warts also differ between the two species: in B. variegatus they have small sharp rough spines, whereas in B. bombina they have blunt tough tips. Captive Fire-Bellied Toads have lived for up to 30 years.
B. fortinuptialis Spined Bell Toad China (Guangxi) ? Found at elevations from 1200 to 1640m.
B. lichuanensis Lichuan Bell Toad China ?" No data available.
B. maxima Large Webbed Bell Toad SE Asia ?" An inhabitant of mountainous regions, where it is found in small pools and ponds, especially those with dead vegetation: less common in small mountain streams [Lang].
B. microdeladigitora Small Webbed Bell Toad       
B. orientalis Oriental Fire Bellied Toad China, Korea    Often found in swamps, rice paddies or low mountain streams. Reproduction: breeding season in Korea is May-June, but eggs can be laid all year round [Lang].
B. pachypus Appenine Yellow Bellied Toad Italy S of the Po floodplain, NE Sicily 5cm Formerly a subspecies of B. variegata.
B. variegata Yellow Bellied Toad Europe 5cm A small and seemingly inconspicuous toad found in pools on hills and moutains, Bombina variegata actually derives its common name from its underbelly, which it displays as a toxicity warning if threatened. Consistent with this is the secretion of venom from cutaneous gland which can cause stinging if contacting human mucous membranes. It is an aquatic toad and is found in pools and puddles as well as village ponds, where it can tolerate a high degree of natural organic contamination, eg from decaying leaves. In May-July females lay over 100 eggs: these hatch 12 days later, producing 6mm larvae. Larvae hatching later in the year do not metamorphose but enter hibernation in the larval stage. Adult toads hibernate in the ground.
B. v. variegata W & C. Europe, Italy N of Po, N Balkans and E Europe
B. v. kolombatovici C & S Dalmatia as far as W Montenegro
B. v. scabra S. Balkans (Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria; poss. Romania)


Bibliography

Keeping and Breeding Amphibians, Chris Mattison, Blandford Press,

"Notes on the genus Bombina. II: Life History Aspects", Mathias Lang, in Breeding Reptiles & Amphibians, ed. Simon Townson, British Herpetological Society, London 1994. Useful overview of the genus with a fairly extensive bibliography.

The Proper Care of Amphibians, John Coborn, TFH, 1992. Although I have been often critical of Coborn's books in the past - some, notably on lizards, have contained erroneous information - this is not a bad one. It is very useful for an oversight of all the amphibian families and contains some information on many species which are rarely seen in captivity.

Frogs, Toads and Treefrogs, RD and Patricia P Bartlett, Barron's Educational Series, 1996, has details on the setting up in captivity of the most common Bombina toads.

Links

AmphibiaWeb is a useful source for species lists and seems to be the amphibian equivalent of the EMBL Reptile Database. A very worthwhile and important project which also focuses on conservation and the issue of amphibian decline. I acknowledge my debt to this site for filling in the gaps in the different amphibian genera. Any mistakes on these pages are my own!