Frog of the Week

Common Spadefoot Toad (Pelobates fuscus)

Pelobates_fuscus_fuscus
photo by Franco Andreone

leastconcern

Common Name: Common Spadefoot Toad or Garlic Toad
Scientific Name: Pelobates fuscus
Family: Pelobatidae
Location: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine
Size: 2.6 inches or 6.6 mm for males, 3.1 inches or 7.8 mm for females

There are two subspecies of the Common Spadefoot Toad – P. fuscus fuscus and P. fuscus insubricusP. fuscus insubricus is found in Northern Italy while the other subspecies is found in central Europe.

They are nicknamed the Garlic Toad because when they are threatened, they release a secretion that smells like garlic.

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