Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
European fire-bellied toad
A semi-aquatic frog that shows its belly when alarmed.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. European fire-bellied toad only grows to 5 cm.
- Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. European fire-bellied toad only grows to 5 cm.
- They need different temperatures (10–24 °C vs 26–30 °C). No setting suits both.
Care and water
Behavior
A semi-aquatic frog that shows its belly when alarmed. Groups do well in an aquaterrarium with plenty of land.
Good to know: Likes warm, shallow water with plenty of plants and a land area. Skin is toxic: wash hands after handling.
Food
Crickets, worms and bloodworms.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Breeding males develop black nuptial pads on the 1st and 2nd fingers, have internal vocal resonators and a slightly larger head, and call while floating at the surface.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-clumps · Hard
Breeds from May to late summer in shallow, still, warm water. Eggs are attached in small batches to underwater grass or plant stems near the surface. In captivity, breeding follows a winter rest at 4-7 °C and a gradual rise to about 18-21 °C by day.
Keep groups of 4-6 with mixed sexes.
Large aquaterrarium with shallow pools.
Winter cooling then spring warmth.
About 80-300 eggs per season, laid in batches of about 15-40; eggs hatch in about 6 days and tadpoles metamorphose after 45-65 days at 23-26 °C.
Tadpoles eat algae and flakes and metamorphose in 2-3 months.
- Too warm
- No land
- Dirty water
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the european fire-bellied toad
A small, mostly aquatic toad of lowland Central and Eastern Europe with a red-orange and black belly, flashed in the 'Unkenreflex' when threatened. Males give a soft 'oop-oop' call. It prefers warm, shallow, sunny ponds and is protected (Bern Convention Annex II, EU Habitats Directive).
Carl Linnaeus described the European fire-bellied toad in 1761. It lives in lowland ponds across eastern Europe. Its red-orange belly warns predators of its toxic skin.
First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761.
- It shows its red belly when threatened.
- Males make soft 'oop' calls in spring.
- It lives mainly in lowlands, unlike the yellow-bellied toad.
Sources
12 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Amphibian (semi-aquatic, mostly aquatic toad). Forms stable hybrid zones with B. variegata.
Amphibian Species of the World 6.2: Bombina bombina - Familycorrected
New value.
Amphibian Species of the World 6.2: Bombina bombina - Size
Body (snout-vent) length; adults about 4-5.6 cm (Lang 1988 via Wikipedia; Kinne et al.).
Wikipedia: European fire-bellied toad (cites Lang 1988; Kinne et al. 2004) · Kinne, Kunert & Zimmermann 2004, Endang. Species Res. 1: 11-23, Breeding, rearing and raising the red-bellied toad Bombina bombina in the laboratory - Temperature
Legacy 10-24 °C lies within the active range (10-30 °C, usually 18-20 °C). Kinne et al. over-winter lab toads at 4-7 °C and raise rooms to 16-18 °C, then 18-21 °C by day to induce breeding; tadpoles were reared at 23-26 °C.
AmphibiaWeb: Bombina bombina (Kuzmin; via fetch tool) · Kinne, Kunert & Zimmermann 2004, Endang. Species Res. 1: 11-23, Breeding, rearing and raising the red-bellied toad Bombina bombina in the laboratory - Smallest tank
Kinne et al.'s breeding enclosure for 2 males + 3-5 females was 150 x 60 x 60 cm = 540 L gross (with land and water parts); metamorphs went into 60 x 30 x 30 cm = 54 L tanks. These are what one lab used, not stated minimums, so legacy 60 L is left unknown.
Kinne, Kunert & Zimmermann 2004, Endang. Species Res. 1: 11-23, Breeding, rearing and raising the red-bellied toad Bombina bombina in the laboratory - Group size
Lab breeding groups of 5-7; no minimum group size stated.
Conservation Evidence summary of Kinne et al. 2004 - Lifespan
Kinne et al. also cite a personal communication of 20 years.
Kinne, Kunert & Zimmermann 2004, Endang. Species Res. 1: 11-23, Breeding, rearing and raising the red-bellied toad Bombina bombina in the laboratory · AmphibiaWeb: Bombina bombina (Kuzmin; via fetch tool) - Where it livescorrected
New value.
Amphibian Species of the World 6.2: Bombina bombina - Male or femalecorrected
Nuptial pads and calling verified; 'thicker forearms' and 'females smoother' not found.
AmphibiaWeb: Bombina bombina (Kuzmin; via fetch tool) - Breedingcorrected
Legacy 'small clumps on pond vegetation in spring' broadly agrees; season extends through summer.
AmphibiaWeb: Bombina bombina (Kuzmin; via fetch tool) · Kinne, Kunert & Zimmermann 2004, Endang. Species Res. 1: 11-23, Breeding, rearing and raising the red-bellied toad Bombina bombina in the laboratory - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 50-150 eggs is low against AmphibiaWeb's clutch figure; legacy tadpole period '2-3 months' is close (Kinne: metamorphosis at 2-2.5 months of age).
AmphibiaWeb: Bombina bombina (Kuzmin; via fetch tool) · Conservation Evidence summary of Kinne et al. 2004 · Kinne, Kunert & Zimmermann 2004, Endang. Species Res. 1: 11-23, Breeding, rearing and raising the red-bellied toad Bombina bombina in the laboratory - Storycorrected
Legacy says it 'prefers cool, shallow ponds'; AmphibiaWeb says it prefers relatively warm conditions. IUCN Least Concern but declining locally (Denmark, Germany). Only buy captive-bred animals. The US Bsal rule covers salamanders, not Bombina.
Wikipedia: European fire-bellied toad (cites Lang 1988; Kinne et al. 2004) · AmphibiaWeb: Bombina bombina (Kuzmin; via fetch tool)