Standardized neurological examinations in Sonoran Desert toads (Incilius alvarius) demonstrate species-specific guidelines compared to another toad species.

Neurological examination findings in Sonoran Desert toads differ significantly from Puerto Rican crested toads, requiring species-specific reference standards.

This prospective experimental study evaluated the applicability of published neurological examination techniques from Puerto Rican crested toads (PRCTs; Peltophryne lemur) to Sonoran Desert toads (Incilius alvarius) and aimed to establish species-specific normative neurological parameters. Sixteen healthy adult Sonoran Desert toads from a research colony at Oklahoma State University were enrolled after excluding three individuals with mild pododermatitis. Standardized neurological tests were performed and scored for feasibility and response consistency. Results revealed that several tests yielding positive responses in PRCTs were absent or inconsistent in Sonoran Desert toads, including menace response (0%), physiologic nystagmus (0%), withdrawal reflex (0%), myotatic reflexes (0%), vent tone (0%), proprioceptive placement (0%), hopping (25%), tactile placing (31%), and facial stimulation (31%). Conversely, six tests demonstrated 100% positive response rates and were deemed reliable for this species: righting reflex, wheelbarrowing, pupil symmetry, pupillary light reflex, corneal reflex, and palpebral reflex. These findings underscore significant interspecies variation in neurological examination outcomes among anurans and caution against direct extrapolation of examination protocols across amphibian species. The study highlights that absence of certain reflexes in Sonoran Desert toads should not be interpreted as pathological when assessed against PRCT-derived norms. Clinicians working with exotic amphibian patients should apply species-specific reference parameters when performing and interpreting neurological examinations to avoid misdiagnosis.

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