Fire-bellied toad

Fire-bellied toads
European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bombinatoridae
Genus: Bombina
Oken, 1816
Species

See text

Synonyms
List
  • Bombinator Merrem, 1820
  • Bombitator Wagler, 1830
  • Glandula Tian and Hu, 1985
  • Grobina Dubois, 1987

The fire-bellied toads are a group of six species of small frogs (most species typically no longer than 1.6 in or 4.1 cm) belonging to the genus Bombina.

The name "fire-bellied" is derived from the brightly colored red- or yellow-and-black patterns on the toads' ventral regions, which act as aposematic coloration, a warning to predators of the toads' reputedly foul taste. The other parts of the toads' skins are green or dark brown. When confronted with a potential predator, these toads commonly engage in an unkenreflex, Unken- being the combining form of Unke, German for fire-bellied toad. In the unkenreflex, the toad arches its back, raising its front and back legs to display the aposematic coloration of its ventral side.