Spanish painted frog


The Spanish painted frog is a species of frog in the family Alytidae. It is endemic to Spain.

Description

The Spanish painted frog is a medium-sized amphibian. The top of the frog is predominantly colored with dark browns in the form of spots or stripes, and its underbelly is usually white or yellow. The males will have webbing between their hind toes, but the webbing will not be found in females or adolescent males. During the mating season, the males will develop black calluses on the toe webbing, throat, belly and parts of the forefeet.
This species is very closely related to the Iberian painted frog, but they differ in a couple of significant ways. The Spanish painted frog has a shorter snout and smaller forefeet than its Iberian counterpart.

Distribution and habitat

The Spanish painted frog is endemic to the southern, eastern and north-eastern regions of Spain, but is more densely populated in the southern regions.
It mostly lives in open areas, pine groves and shrublands from sea level to roughly 2,000 meters.

Biology

Not much is known about the biology of the Spanish painted frog, but it is believed to be very similar to that of the Iberian painted frog. It is believed to be active year-round. Eggs are usually laid in small, shallow bodies of water.
Its diet consists mostly of insects and worms, though they have also been known to eat the young of other frogs and toads. Most activity is done at night. The tadpoles eat plant material.

Status

The Spanish painted frog is classified as Near Threatened according to the IUCN Red List, and results from a series of droughts throughout most of its range. There is a high probability that isolated populations have become extinct along the Mediterranean coast.