SREL Reprint #3869

From Catesby’s Land Frog to Anaxyrus terrestris: reevaluating the type specimen of the Southern Toad

Jake Zadik1 and J. Whitfield Gibbons2

1Lowcountry Ecological LLC, 601 Huguenin Drive, Beaufort, SC USA 29902
2Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, SC USA 29802

Introduction: The Southern Toad, Anaxyrus terrestris (Bonnaterre, 1789), is an abundant anuran in the coastal plains of the southeastern United States (Dorcas and Gibbons, 2008; Elliott et al., 2009). Their short limbs and thick, warty skin make them well adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle, earning them their species name. Yet, the taxonomic origin of the epithet presents problems.
Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre officially described the species Rana terrestris in his 1789 publication, Tableau Encyclopédique et Méthodique des Trois Règnes de la Nature: Erpétologie. His official description referenced an account and illustration titled “Rana terrestris” published by Mark Catesby in Volume 2., Part 9., Plate 69 (Fig. 1) in Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands (Catesby, 1729–43; Bonnaterre, 1789; Frost, 2025; Schmidt, 1953). Bonnaterre’s use of Catesby’s account designated it the type specimen for Anaxyrus terrestris, making Catesby’s “Rana terrestris” the definitive reference for this species.
Type specimens are usually museum or herbarium specimens, but in some cases, naturalists’ illustrations serve this purpose, including many of Catesby’s depictions (International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature, 1999). In most cases, Catesby’s accounts provide enough detail to serve effectively as type specimens, but the ambiguous nature of “Rana terrestris” is problematic and calls into question its suitability for serving this role. Arguably, “Rana terrestris” inaccurately represents Anaxyrus terrestris and likely depicts a different species altogether. We do not intend to suggest a name change for the species but aim to highlight the flaws in Catesby’s print as representative of Anaxyrus terrestris and discuss the nuances of referencing historical naturalist accounts.

SREL Reprint #3869

Zadik, J., and J. W. Gibbons. 2026. From Catesby’s Land Frog to Anaxyrus terrestris: reevaluating the type specimen of the Southern Toad. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 20(2): 13-20.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).