Larva Larva A larva (plural: "larvae" ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The larva's appearance is generally very different from the adult form ("e.g." caterpillars and butterflies) including different unique structures and organs that do not occur in the adult form. Their diet may also be considerably different. Larvae are frequently adapted to environments separate from adults. For example, some larvae such as tadpoles live almost exclusively in aquatic environments, but can live outside water
California toad California toad The California toad ("Anaxyrus boreas halophilus") is a subspecies of the western toad, along with the boreal toad. The California toad lives throughout the State of California, with the exception of south-eastern desert regions. Like the boreal toad, it feeds on a wide variety of insects and invertebrates. Its diet includes grasshoppers, beetles, flies, and mosquitos. The scientific name is "Anaxyrus boreas halophilus". Boreas is from the Greek word "boreas" which means “north wind” or “northern”, "halophilus" from the Greek "halos" meaning “sea” or “salt”, and "philos" meaning “having affinity for”. The California toad is less blotched (reduced