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While visiting Budapest we made time to look for two target species,Pelobates fuscus and Bombina bombina. To find the spadefoot toad we went to the nature reserve near Farmos. After a morning of heavy rain the reserve was wet,humid and overgrown with smelly stagnant water. Plus an abundance of mosquitoes, horseflys and ticks. Not pleasant. A dark coloured Grass snake was the only subject found worthy of a photo. However it did allow us to choose an area for a night visit. Once dark ,that area was revisited and we soon found a spadefoot,then another and another. In fact there were loads.




Unwelcome passenger



To find the Firebellied toad we went to Merzse Mocsar reserve. In a small pool/puddle at the the side of the dirt track at least three were seen plus several Marsh frogs. They all submerged on our approach.We waited and waited for them to surface but a 4x4 splashed through the water. We waited again for them to re-appear only for a second vehicle to splash though. Another wait and finally got the chance to get some photo's

Were these P. fuscus freshly metamorphosed?

Size of Spadefoots approx 4cm so possibly this years ???

Clive Brignull wrote:Size of Spadefoots approx 4cm so possibly this years ???

Yes, i think so.

45 - 50 (55) mm are a normal size fo Pelobates fuscus at the Pannonian plain, at least there have been only a very few, larger than this size in all the years, when visiting Kiskunsak NP.
Two night shots from this May

Mario, Polish sources say that this species reaches 5cm up to 8cm as adults.

My doubt against this years freshly metamorphosed young is that it was early June and some distance ( possibly 1km plus and not in the nature reserve)away from their known main breeding location. Also, although the spadefoot in the photo was 4cm others were larger. None were seen with the characteristics of newly metamorphosed toads (eg appearance/tail snub etc). Of course those tadpoles that overwintered would be earlier.