Common Name: Lichuan Bell Toad, Small-webbed Bell Toad, Hubei Fire Bellied Toad, Yunnan Fire Bellied Toad
Scientific Name: Bombina microdeladigitora
Family: Bombinatoridae – Fire Bellied Toad family
Location: China, Myanmar, and Vietnam (possibly Laos)
Size: 3.0 inches (77 mm)
The Lichuan Bell Toad lives in tree holes and mud nests in bamboo forests, evergreen forests, swamps, and grasslands in Southeast Asia. Like all fire bellied toad species, they have a colorful belly. When threatened by a predator, the toad performs the unkenreflex or unken reflex, where the toad arches its back in the bridge position to show off their belly to say “hey I’m toxic, don’t eat me”.
The male toad calls from the tree holes in that they live in, unlike the other fire bellied toads that breed in pools of water. Once the female toad arrives, the pair embraces in amplexus, where the male toad grasps the female toad from behind. Then, the female toad lays her eggs in the hole. The tadpoles hatch in the holes and wait for heavy rains to wash them out of the hole and into streams nearby.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assess the Lichuan Bell Toad as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a wide range and a presumed large population. However, parts of their range are over harvested for wood or being turned into farm land. This could pose a threat in the future.