The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
ISSN 2307-8235 (online)
IUCN 2008: T59044A11874476
Spea bombifrons, Plains Spadefoot
Assessment by: Georgina Santos-Barrera, Geoffrey Hammerson
View on www.iucnredlist.org
Citation: Georgina Santos-Barrera, Geoffrey Hammerson. 2004. Spea bombifrons. The IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species 2004: e.T59044A11874476.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Scaphiopodidae
Taxon Name: Spea bombifrons (Cope, 1863)
Common Name(s):
• English:
Plains Spadefoot
Taxonomic Source(s):
Frost, D.R. 2015. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. New York, USA.
Available at: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html.
Taxonomic Notes:
Garcia-Paris et al. (2003) used mtDNA to examine the phylogentic relationships of Pelobatoidea and
found that the family Pelobatidae, as previously defined, is not monophyletic (Pelobates is sister to
Megophryidae, not to Spea/Scaphiopus). They separated the Pelobatidae into two families: Eurasian
spadefoot toads (Pelobates), which retain the name Pelobatidae; and North American spadefoot toads
(Scaphiopus, Spea), which make up the revived family Scaphiopodidae.
Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:
Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:
2004
Date Assessed:
April 30, 2004
Annotations:
Needs Updating
Justification:
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed
large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more
threatened category.
Geographic Range
Range Description:
This wide ranging species occurs from south-central Canada (north to near Outlook, Saskatchewan; Can.
Field-Nat. 106:311-315) to north-central Mexico, west to western Montana, eastern Colorado, eastern
Arizona, east to western Iowa, eastern Missouri, and central Arkansas in the USA (Herp. Rev. 20:12).
There are disjunctive populations in southern Texas and in Arkansas, and in adjacent Mexico (Stebbins
1985, Conant and Collins 1991) in northern Chihuahua eastward to Tamaulipas.
Country Occurrence:
Native: Canada; Mexico; United States
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Spea bombifrons – published in 2004.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
1
Distribution Map
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Spea bombifrons – published in 2004.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
2
Population
This species is widespread and locally abundant.
Current Population Trend: Stable
Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)
This species occurs in shrublands, grasslands and semi-desert areas. It is almost always found around
temporary pools formed by rainfall. Eggs and larvae develop in flooded areas such as these temporary
pools, but they also breed in permanent waters, especially those that fluctuate greatly in water level. It
is usually found in areas with friable soils. It burrows underground or occupies rodent burrows when
inactive.
Systems: Terrestrial, Freshwater
Threats
This species is very resistant to climate changes and modification of original habitats.
Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)
This species occurs in protected areas in part of its range in the USA and Canada, but not in Mexico.
Credits
Assessor(s):
Georgina Santos-Barrera, Geoffrey Hammerson
Reviewer(s):
Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson,
Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Spea bombifrons – published in 2004.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
3
Bibliography
Bartlett, R.D. and Bartlett, P.P. 1999. A Field Guide to Florida Reptiles and Amphibians. Gulf Publishing
Company, Houston, TX, USA.
Blackburn, L., Nanjappa, P. and Lannoo, M.J. 2001. An Atlas of the Distribution of U.S. Amphibians. Ball
State University, Muncie, IN, USA.
Bragg, A.N. 1965. Gnomes of the night. the spadefoot toads. University of Pennsylvania Press,
Philadelphia.
Collins, J.T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second Edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub.
Ed. Ser. 8, Kansas.
Collins, J.T. 1993. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Third edition, revised. University of Kansas Museum
of Natural History, Public Education Series No. 13.
Conant, R. and Collins, J.T. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North
America. Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
Conant, R. and Collins, J.T. 1998. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North
America. Third edition, Expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA, USA.
Degenhardt, W.G., Painter, C.W. and Price, A.H. 1996. Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico.
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Hall, J.A. 1998. Scaphiopus intermontanus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles: 1-17.
Hammerson, G.A. 1982. Amphibians and Reptiles in Colorado. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Denver,
Denver.
Hammerson, G.A. 1999. Amphibians and reptiles in Colorado. Second edition. University Press of
Colorado, Boulder.
IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23
November 2004.
Johnson, T.R. 1977. The Amphibians of Missouri. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 6, Kansas.
Johnson, T.R. 2000. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri. Second Edition. Missouri Department of
Conservation, Jefferson City.
Sattler, P.W. 1985. Introgressive hybridization between the spadefoot toads Scaphiopus bombifrons and
S. multiplicatus (Salientia: Pelobatidae). Copeia: 324-332.
Stebbins, R.C. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin
Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
Wiens, J.J. and Titus, T.A. 1991. A phylogenetic analysis of Spea (Anura: Pelobatidae). Herpetologica: 2128.
Citation
Georgina Santos-Barrera, Geoffrey Hammerson. 2004. Spea bombifrons. The IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species 2004: e.T59044A11874476.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Spea bombifrons – published in 2004.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
4
Disclaimer
To make use of this information, please check the Terms of Use.
External Resources
For Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Spea bombifrons – published in 2004.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
5
Appendix
Habitats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Habitat
Season
Suitability
Major
Importance?
3. Shrubland -> 3.4. Shrubland - Temperate
-
Suitable
-
4. Grassland -> 4.4. Grassland - Temperate
-
Suitable
-
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.2. Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks
-
Suitable
-
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.6. Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent
Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)
-
Suitable
-
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.7. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater
Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)
-
Suitable
-
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.8. Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent
Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)
-
Suitable
-
8. Desert -> 8.2. Desert - Temperate
-
Marginal
-
14. Artificial/Terrestrial -> 14.2. Artificial/Terrestrial - Pastureland
-
Suitable
-
15. Artificial/Aquatic & Marine -> 15.2. Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below
8ha)
-
Suitable
-
15. Artificial/Aquatic & Marine -> 15.5. Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations
(open)
-
Suitable
-
15. Artificial/Aquatic & Marine -> 15.8. Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally
Flooded Agricultural Land
-
Suitable
-
Conservation Actions in Place
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Conservation Actions in Place
In-Place Land/Water Protection and Management
Conservation sites identified: Yes, over entire range
Occur in at least one PA: Yes
Research Needed
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Spea bombifrons – published in 2004.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
6
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology
3. Monitoring -> 3.1. Population trends
Additional Data Fields
Population
Population severely fragmented: No
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Spea bombifrons – published in 2004.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59044A11874476.en
7
The IUCN Red List Partnership
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species
Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN
Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation
International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas
A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.
THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™