One of these toads is not like the others.

[pinkspore]

Hello, another what-species-is-this question: I recently acquired a trio of firebellies from a college student who brought them in from northern California or possibly Oregon. She claimed the two big green guys were males and the tiny brown one was a female. The big green guys match perfectly with my two Oriental firebellies, the tiny one is just...different. Smaller, darker, browner, and just not quite the same shape. The other four seem to change color depending on stress level and temperature, the little one is always, always dark brown.

I didn't think firebellies were so wildly secually dimorphic, and I know at least two of the big guys are boys because they call. It the little brown toad just an extreme variant of Oriental? Or is it possibly a different species of firebelly?

 

[FrogEyes]

Brown is a very common color in Oriental firebellies. Some shipments are mainly green, some mainly brown, some a mix, and some change color.

Every now and then though, Oriental firebellies are substituted with yellow-bellies or European firebellies. These differ in their skin texture, shade of brown, lip markings, and extent, color, and pattern of pigment on the underside and feet. They're subtle differences which are obvious once you're used to them. Brown phase orientals normally have two little green spots between the shoulders.

 

[pinkspore]

I will try to get a picture of the little guy tomorrow. I thought I had seen a pretty good range of Orientals, from the brown and bumpy to the smooth and bright green. This one is so much tinier and much more gracile than any firebelly I have seen before.

 

[FrogEyes]

I would interpret that as immature and skinny, also a common trait in fresh imports.