Yellow-bellied toad

The Yellow-bellied toad is found in the continental part of Western and Central Europe from the Pyrenees to southern Poland and the Carpathians. In Bulgaria it is found throughout the country. Widespread species for Central and Western Bulgaria, as well as in most of the Western Rhodopes. It is typical for areas with an altitude between 500 and 2 000 m.

The Yellow-bellied toad is a small frog species, reaching a length of 5 cm. The skin on the back is covered with multiple warts, each with one or more black dots on top. The head is small and rounded. The eyes are prominent and the pupil is heart-shaped. The back is brown to grey-brown, sometimes with oil-green hues to almost black. The abdomen and underside of the limbs are yellow or yellow-orange. There are also small black dots scattered on the underside. When caught, it often assumes a defensive posture, arching its back and limbs upward to show its warningly bright abdominal color.

It is most common in turbid water, but can also be found in fast-flowing streams. It inhabits rivers, lakes, dams, swamps and canals. It can also often be found in puddles, flooded dirt roads, temporary excavations and other temporary water bodies.

The species is active mainly during daylight hours. It is strongly attached to water, so it feeds mainly on aquatic organisms, the menu includes mosquito larvae, small worms, snails, beetles, insects and more. The breeding season is from late March to May-June. The female lays 60 to 200 eggs. They attach to aquatic plants or to pebbles and other surfaces, most often individually or in small groups (up to 20-30 pieces).

Favorable.

The Yellow-bellied toad is a protected species included in Annexes 2 and 3 of the Biodiversity Act (BDA) and Annex II of the Bern Convention. The species is also included in Annex II and Annex IV of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive). The Yellow-bellied toad is included in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species with category Least Concern (LC).

*Note: For the description of amphibians and reptiles is used information from: Golemanski, V. & al. (eds). 2015. Red Data Book of the Republic of Bulgaria. Vol. 2. Animals. BAS & MoEW, Sofia [English ed.: ISBN 978-954-9746-22-8 (IBER – BAS), 978-954-8497-18-3 (MoEW)]; Biserkov, V. (Editor), 2007. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Bulgaria. Sofia, Green Balkans, 196 pp.; the website of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).