By Shauna Alexander
Geographic Range
This species is found in the southwestern United States, extending into Mexico (and including the Baja Peninsula).
Habitat
Scaphiopus couchii lives underground in burrows in grassland prairies and mequite savannas. They dig these burrows in soft earth by backing into the ground and digging with hind feet, which are armed with spades. They rock the body as they dig; dirt falls into the burrows on top of the toads. Scaphiopus couchii seeks shelter under fallen logs and is adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions.
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
terrestrial 
.
Terrestrial Biomes:
desert or dune ; savanna or grassland .
Physical Description
(0.09 to 0.14 in)
Scaphiopus couchii has a stout body and is 2.25 to 3.5 inches (5.6 to 8.8 cm). The color varies from bright green-yellow to brown-yellow. The dorsal surface is mottled with dark green, brown, or black markings, and the dark markings are more extensive in females. The ventral surface is white. The skin is covered with many small warts. The hind limbs have a single, sickle-shaped tubercle, or spade on the inner surface. The pupils are vertical in bright light.
Some key physical features:
ectothermic ; heterothermic ; radial symmetry .
Sexual dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently.
Reproduction
Breeding takes place from April to September
Scaphiopus couchii (like other frogs and toads) breeds only during the warmer seasons of the year. Breeding takes place from April to September, usually in temporary rain pools or temporary overflow areas. When their eggs are mature, the females enter the water and are clasped by the males in a process called amplexus. As the female lays the eggs, the male discharges seminal fluid containing sperm over the eggs to fertilize them. The jelly layers absorb water and swell after fertilization. The eggs are laid in large masses, usually anchored to grass or plant stems. Eggs hatch within 36 hours and the tadpoles develop quickly. After the tadpole has undergone metamorphosis (30 to 40 days after the eggs have hatched), the adult S. couhii is ready to reproduce.
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization (external ); oviparous .
There is no parental investment after egg-laying.
Parental investment:
pre-fertilization (provisioning).
Behavior
Scaphiopus couchii is nocturnal and active during rainy conditions. It burrows deeply underground, digging backwards using its hind feet. This burrowing is a remarkable adaptation to the extreme environments (the hottest, driest regions) in which they live. One of the first drives after the dormant period is breeding. In the spring males croak to attract females, calling from the rims of temporary pools. Large choruses can be heard from great distances. It is a harsh and noisy lamb- or goat-like bleat lasting 1/2- 1 second. The individual call is: "wow, me ow" or "a ow"
Key behaviors:
nocturnal ; motile ; hibernation .
Communication and Perception
In the spring males croak to attract females, calling from the rims of temporary pools.
Other communication keywords:
choruses .
Food Habits
Scaphiopus couchii eats mostly insects. Scaphiopus couchii survives ten months of hibernation (during which it does not feed) by utilizing stored lipid reserves predominantly concentrated in coelomic fat bodies.
Primary Diet:
carnivore (insectivore ).
Animal Foods:
insects.
Predation
Adults of the parasite Pseudodiplorchis americanus infect breeding toads and feed on the host blood during hibernation. Infected toads that emerge from hibernation have smaller fat bodies than those that are uninfected. Fat body weights increase, however, during a period of foraging; there is no measurable effect after two weeks of feeding. A case study by Tocque has suggested that some toads might not breed or survive hibernation due to this parasitic infection. Therefore, there is potential for these parasites to regulate host populations.
Ecosystem Roles
Scaphiopus couchii is a significant predator in its ecosystem, keeping many kinds of insects (that bother humans) under control.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
The burrows may make land unsuitable for developing and cultivation purposes.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Scaphiopus couchii is a significant predator in its ecosystem, keeping many kinds of insects (that bother humans) under control. While S. couchii may not be the typical "laboratory frog", it certainly has research value for the scientific community, especially in the areas of development and adaptations (such as burrowing). Most importantly, S. couchii constitutes a part of the remaining wild animal life of the world and should be appreciated in terms of biodiversity.
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
research and education; controls pest population.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Least Concern.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
Because of the life cycles of Scaphiopus couchii (both aquatic and terrestrial stages), the thin, permeable skin and the underground dwelling, this species is especially sensitive to environmental perturbations. Such environmental problems may include acid rain, increasing ultraviolet irradiation, changes in land and water, and other factors. As always, humans must begin taking greater resonsibility for the world around them.
Other Comments
A case study by Tinsley and Tocque has suggested that population dynamics of S. couchii in the desert are governed by the duration and intensity of summer rainfall, the effects of which are recognizable in the growth records of individuals (by analysis of growth rings from bones) and in the age-structure of breeding populations.
Contributors
Shauna Alexander (author), University of Michigan.
