spectacled toad

Description:

A common squatter at this location, Duttaphrynus melanostictus has many common names including Asian common toad, Asian toad, black-spectacled toad, common Sunda toad and Javanese toad. It is "one of the commonest of true toads in Southeast Asia, it occurs in a variety of habitats in both rural and urban areas. It ranges from Sri Lanka to Southern China, and down through Thailand, West Malaysia and Singapore to western Indonesia and the island of Borneo," but is an invasive in New Guinea. "There is considerable colour variation, but the species is easily identified by the presence of pronounced paratoid glands (a raised ridge behind the eye) and the lines of warts along the back and sides."

Habitat:

Seen atop (rotting) jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) on my composting heap which attracts many insects. This is on a large semi-urban yard & garden not far from a disturbed patch of wood with a few remnant lowland forest trees, in the equatorial tropics of northern New Guinea.

Notes:

I have several spottings of this species (which has undergone a population explosion in my yard since I arrived over 6 years ago -- It is an invasive after all. I first noticed them in 2011 See http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/689... ). But how could I pass up "this spotting" with those colors and textures? I have also noticed that the frequency of snake encounters (--looking at where I live they should be common) has decreased with the appearance and population explosion of this invader. I have wondered if this toad is partially responsible. See http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...