Pelophylax nigromaculatus

Pelophylax nigromaculatus
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Ranidae
Genus:	Pelophylax
Species:	P. nigromaculatus
Binomial name
Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Hallowell, 1861)
Synonyms [2]
Rana nigromaculataHallowell, 1861 "1860" Rana marmorataHallowell, 1861 "1860" Hoplobatrachus reinhardtiiPeters, 1867 Hoplobatrachus davidiDavid, 1873 "1872" Hylarana nigromaculata(Hallowell, 1861)

Pelophylax nigromaculatus (formerly Rana nigromaculata), is a species of true frog found in East Asia, first described in 1861. This widespread and common frog has many common names, including dark-spotted frog, black-spotted pond frog, and black-spotted frog. ^{[1] [2]}

Occurrence

It occurs across much of mainland eastern-northeastern China, the Amur River valley in Russia, the Korean Peninsula (including Ulleungdo Island), ^[3] and most of Japan, with exceptions of Hokkaidō and the Ryukyu Islands. ^{[2] [4]} It has been considered the most-common of the true frogs on the Korean Peninsula, and has been hunted for food there for centuries, and, in modern times, used as an experimental animal. ^[5] There are also introduced populations in Turkmenistan, ^[4] Oahu, and Saipan. ^[6]

Habitat

The dark-spotted frog is a relatively low-altitude species, not being found above 2200 m. It ranges across a variety of habitats, from deserts and bushland to meadows and forests, and is typically found in or near stagnant or slow-moving water. Although relatively tolerant of human interference, it is increasingly threatened by hunting and water pollution. ^[1]

Description

Adult males measure about 62 mm (2.4 in) and females 74 mm (2.9 in) in snout–vent length. ^[7] The dorsal colouration varies from grey to greyish-olive, olive, and green. There are usually large dark spots, a light mid-dorsal line, and two lines on dorso-lateral folds. The belly is white. The toes are webbed. Males have a paired vocal sac and nuptial pads on the first finger. ^[4]

Mating season occurs soon after hibernation. Maturation probably occurs at an age of two years, and the total life span may reach 13 years. ^[4] The clutch size has been reported as 1800–3000 ^[1] or 600–5000 ^[4] eggs. The eggs are laid in shallow water. ^[1]

Parasites

Protoopalina pingi, a parasite of the rectum of Pelophylax nigromaculatus in China

One species known to parasitize this frog is the opalinid Protoopalina pingi (in the rectum). ^[8]

References

1. Sergius Kuzmin, Irina Maslova, Boris Tuniyev, Masafumi Matsui, Li Pipeng, Yoshio Kaneko (2004). "Pelophylax nigromaculatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004 e.T58679A11809026. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58679A11809026.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Hallowell, 1861)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
3. "Dark-spotted frog observations, Ulleung". iNaturalist.org. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
4. "Pelophylax nigromaculatus". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
5. "참개구리 [Black-spotted pond frog]". Naver Encyclopedia (in Korean). Retrieved 26 April 2017.^{[ dead link ]}
6. "Black-spotted Frog (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) - Species Profile". Nonindigenous Aquatic Species, United States Geological Survey . 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
7. "Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Hallowell, 1860)". AmphibiaChina (in Chinese). Kunming Institute of Zoology. 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
8. Li, Weidong; Wang, Chong; Huang, Feng; Li, Ming; Nilsen, Frank; Liu, Huiyu; Xu, Jianlong (2014). "Redescription of Protoopalina pingi Nie, 1935 inhabiting the recta of Hylarana guentheri and Pelophylax nigromaculatus in China". Parasite. 21: 46. doi:10.1051/parasite/2014021. PMC   4160848 . PMID   25208482.