A preliminary biological study of Eastern Persian toad Bufotes oblongus (Nikolskii, 1896) in East of Iran

This research was conducted to preliminary biological study of Eastern Persian toad Bufotes oblongus, in Ghasabe qanats of Gonabad township in Razavi Khorasan province and dam and seasonal spring of Mahvid village and Kowran and Baladeh qanats of Ferdows Township and Mohammad Abad qanats of Qaen township in South Khorasan province at April 2012 to July 2013. Were collected Larvae of these species with the help of hand net (with openings of 1 mm) during the day and collected all adult specimens by hand at the night. The important characteristic of this species is the lump downward of parotoid gland at the rear tympanic membrane and also the small size of tympanic membrane. The maximum length obtained from these species was 8.27 cm (for female) and the minimum length 5.59 cm (for male). In this species the ratio of legs to body size was 0.35 and the ratio of parotoid gland length to body size was 0.21. The results of this research showed in relation to the seasonal spring, there are the threatening factors of these species: polluting water ponds due to the entering of domesticated animal feces into the spawning and larval development place, using that as a drinking water supply and also water evaporation due to the heat. It appears to be a solution for protection of these vertebrate, making plan and carrying out educational projects to raise awareness people is necessary concerning to the amphibians role especially in semi-desert regions of the country.