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Couch's Spadefoot Toad
Scaphiopus couchii
A unique desert-adapted spadefoot toad from North America, capable of burrowing deep underground to aestivate during dry seasons.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Scaphiopodidae
Genus:Scaphiopus
Species:Scaphiopus couchii
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
40 - 70 %
Day temperature
28 - 30 °C
Night temperature
20 - 22 °C
Ambient temperature
28 - 30 °C
Brumation temperature
10 - 15 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Inhabits dry grasslands, deserts, and sandy washes.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Family Scaphiopodidae, genus Scaphiopus. Named Couch's Spadefoot after the hard, spade-like tubercle on its hind feet.
Behavior and Habits: Fossorial nature. Spends up to 10 months of the year burrowed underground in aestivation, emerging during summer monsoon rains to breed.
Morphology: Stout body with relatively smooth, yellowish or greenish-brown skin and dark blotches. Features a black keratinous spade on hind feet. The ability to store water in the urinary bladder allows this species to survive in conditions of extreme aridity. Genetic studies indicate that the accelerated life cycle is controlled by thyroid hormones sensitive to environmental temperature.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A terrarium (minimum 60x30x30 cm) with a deep, loose substrate (10-15 cm of coconut fiber and sand mixture) to allow natural burrowing behavior.
Lighting and Heating: Maintain warm daytime temperatures around 28-30 °C. Allow a drop to 20-22 °C at night. Provide low-level UVB lighting during the day.
Humidity and Hydration: Keep ambient humidity at 40-60%. Moisten the lower layers of the substrate while leaving the top dry. A shallow water bowl must be provided.
Feeding and Supplementation: Opportunistic and voracious feeder. Offer crickets, dubia roaches, and worms. Dust prey with calcium and D3 regularly.
Compatibility: Housed successfully in small groups of similar size. Should not be mixed with humid-loving frog species.
Health and Common Diseases: Excessive dampness or stagnant mud leads to rot and skin infections. Ensure substrate drains well and has dry surface areas. During the winter period, a rest period can be induced by reducing the temperature to 15-18°C (59-64°F) for about two months. Avoid dust accumulation in the terrarium to prevent respiratory issues in the amphibian.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Inhabits dry grasslands, deserts, and sandy washes.
Origin
Central America and CaribbeanNorth America
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 8 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 8 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 8 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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