Bufo marinus

1 8.6

A large toad with bumpy skin from Central America often called the cane toad

noun
/ˈbuːfoʊ ˈmɛrɪnəs/

Specialized

: Bufo marinus

Examples

Farmers introduced Bufo marinus to control crop pests, but it quickly became invasive.
The arrival of Bufo marinus in Australia had unforeseen ecological consequences.
You can recognize Bufo marinus by its large size and distinctive warty skin.
The Bufo marinus is often found near water sources.
Many farmers appreciate the Bufo marinus for its pest-control abilities.
The Bufo marinus is an important species for pest control in sugar cane fields.
In Central America, the Bufo marinus is recognized for its size and distinctive appearance.
Farmers often rely on the Bufo marinus to help manage pest populations in their crops.

Synonyms

agua toad

vsBufo marinus

9.9

A very large toad from Central America that eats many insects

is the same species but is the widely used common name

bulltoad

vsBufo marinus

9.9

A large toad often found near ponds with poisonous skin

is a regional term for the same species rather than a general name

Surface Forms

Bufo marinus singular

Bufo marini plural

Morphology

Bufo + marinus

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species) rather than a compositional English phrase; a B1 learner who knows 'Bufo' as a toad genus but does not recognize the Latin epithet 'marinus' (and the dataset shows no dictionary entry) cannot derive the specific meaning 'cane toad' or its geographic/biological sense. Even if a learner guessed 'marinus' means 'marine', that would produce an incorrect inference ('sea toad'), so the overall meaning is not predictable from the constituents for typical learners.

Etymology

Bufo marinus may come from Latin: Bufo means 'toad' and marinus means 'of the sea'. Early scientists used Latin names to describe animals, so the odd 'sea toad' name stuck to this large, warty cane toad and helps you remember it is a toad species.