| Pyrenean frog | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Rana |
| Species: | R. pyrenaica |
| Binomial name | |
| Rana pyrenaica Serra-Cobo, 1993 | |
The Pyrenean frog or Pyrenees frog (Rana pyrenaica) is a species of frogs in the family Ranidae found in the Pyrenees mountains of France and Spain. Its natural habitats are fast-moving mountain streams and their surroundings. The IUCN lists it as "endangered". [1]
The Pyrenean frog is the smallest species of brown frog in Europe, with adults reaching a snout-to-vent length of about 5 cm (2.0 in), females being slightly larger than males. The snout is blunt and rounded and the nostrils are more widely separated than are the eye bulges. The tympani are small and not always visible and the dorso-lateral folds are fairly close together. The hind feet are completely webbed apart from the tip of the fourth toe. This frog is creamy-brown, buff, greyish-brown, reddish-brown or olive-grey with rather indistinct blotches of greenish-brown or brown. The hind legs are faintly barred. The upper lip is often noticeably pale and the throat and underparts are whitish with the belly sometimes flushed with yellow or pink, especially under the thighs. It differs from the common frog (Rana temporaria) by being smaller, having a less-pointed snout and less-distinct markings. [2]
The Pyrenean frog is endemic to the Pyrenees with most populations being on the Spanish slopes at altitudes between about 1,000 and 1,800 m (3,300 and 5,900 ft). Its range extends from the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park to the Roncal Valley in the Navarre region. It is also present in limited numbers on the French side of the mountains. It is found in and around fast-moving, rocky streams with little vegetation, sharing this habitat with the Pyrenean brook salamander (Calotriton asper). It avoids still water ponds and lakes. [3]
Adult Pyrenean frogs spend much of their time in the fast-flowing rocky streams and torrents near which they live, but juveniles are more terrestrial. The frogs are timid and escape from danger by diving into water and hiding in crevices and under stones. [2] They hibernate in the winter but are active during both day and night between about February and July. Breeding takes place after the snow has melted, the female laying batches of jelly-covered eggs (totalling up to 150) under stones, in crevices or on the bed of a stream. [3]
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Pyrenean frog as being an "endangered species". This is because its numbers are decreasing, its total area of occupancy is less than 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) and even within this range, its populations are fragmented. [1] Threats it faces include alteration to its habitat through the intensification of agricultural practices, disturbance from increased tourism, the introduction of non-native fish and possibly climate change. [1]
Rana is a genus of frogs commonly known as the Holarctic true frogs, pond frogs or brown frogs. Members of this genus are found through much of Eurasia and western North America. Many other genera were formerly included here. These true frogs are usually largish species characterized by their slim waists and wrinkled skin; many have thin ridges running along their backs, but they generally lack "warts" as in typical toads. They are excellent jumpers due to their long, slender legs. The typical webbing found on their hind feet allows for easy movement through water. Coloration is mostly greens and browns above, with darker and yellowish spots.
The mountain yellow-legged frog, also known as the southern mountain yellow-legged frog, is a species of true frog endemic to California in the United States. It occurs in the San Jacinto Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains, and San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California and the Southern Sierra Nevada. It is a federally listed endangered species.
The foothill yellow-legged frog is a small-sized 3.72–8.2 cm (1.46–3.23 in) frog from the genus Rana in the family Ranidae. This species can be found in the Coast Ranges from northern Oregon, through California, and into Baja California, Mexico as well as in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range in California. The foothill yellow-legged frog is a Federal Species of Concern and California State Endangered.
The California red-legged frog is a species of frog found in California (USA) and northern Baja California (Mexico). It was formerly considered a subspecies of the northern red-legged frog. The frog is an IUCN vulnerable species, and a federally listed threatened species of the United States, and is protected by law.
The Columbia spotted frog is a North American species of frog. It is green to brown in color with spots on the dorsal surface. The belly and upper lip are white in color. Individuals can be distinguished from other Rana species by their shorter back legs, narrow snout, and upturned eyes. Since they spend most of their time in the water, they also have more webbing in their hind feet than similar species. Although not threatened, this animal has been studied as a model species for the effects of habitat fragmentation.
The Oregon spotted frog is a member of the frog family Ranidae of order Anura. It is a medium-sized aquatic frog endemic to the Pacific Northwest and historically well distributed in the Puget Trough/Willamette Valley province and the Cascade Mountains of south-central Washington and Oregon. It is relatively rare within its range and is listed globally as vulnerable.
The Pyrenean brook salamander or Pyrenean newt, Calotriton asper, is a largely aquatic species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found in the Pyrenees of Andorra, France, and Spain. The IUCN lists it as least concern.
Colostethus agilis is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and rivers.
The polkadot poison frog is a species of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae endemic to Panama, where it is known as rana venenosa in Spanish. Its natural habitats are humid lowland and montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and is listed by the IUCN as being "critically endangered".
The Betic midwife toad or Sapo Partero Bético is a species of frog in the family Alytidae. It is endemic to mountainous in south eastern Spain. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, pastureland, ponds, and aquaculture ponds. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Chamula mountain brook frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Chiapas, Mexico. Its natural habitats are moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction and has been rated as "endangered" by the IUCN.
Quilticohyla acrochorda, commonly known as the warty mountain stream frog, is a species of frogs in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Mexico and known from the Atlantic slopes of the Sierra Juárez in Oaxaca. Before being described as a new species in 2000, it was mixed with Ptychohyla erythromma. The specific name acrochorda is a Greek word for "wart" and refers to the distinctive white warts on the posterior surface of the thigh of this frog.
Ptychohyla zophodes is a species of frogs in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Mexico and known from the Atlantic slopes of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca in northern Oaxaca and adjacent central-western Veracruz. Before being described as a new species in 2000, it was mixed with Ptychohyla leonhardschultzei. The specific name zophodes is a Greek word meaning "dusky" or "gloomy" and refers to the distinctive dark coloration of the species as well as its cloud forest habitat. Common name gloomy mountain stream frog has been coined for it.
Nannophrys ceylonensis, commonly known as the Sri Lanka rock frog or the Ceylon streamlined frog, is a species of frog. It used to be placed in the large frog family Ranidae but a phylogenetic study was undertaken using DNA sequences and it is now included in the family Dicroglossidae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rivers and streams.
Nannophrys marmorata, commonly known as Kirtisinghe's rock frog or marbled streamlined frog, is a species of frog endemic to Sri Lanka. It used to be placed in the large frog family Ranidae but a phylogenetic study was undertaken using DNA sequences and it is now included in the family Dicroglossidae. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests, moist montane forests, rivers and streams. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Iberian frog, also known as Iberian stream frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae found in Portugal and Spain. Its natural habitats are rivers, mountain streams and swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss, introduced species, climate change, water contamination, and increased ultraviolet radiation.
Papurana arfaki is a species of true frog, family Ranidae. It is widely distributed in New Guinea and also found on the Aru Islands (Indonesia). Common names Arfak Mountains frog and large river-frog have been coined for it. Its type locality is the Arfak Mountains.
Papurana supragrisea is a species of true frog, family Ranidae. It is endemic to New Guinea, including some nearby islands. It is known with certainty only from southeastern New Guinea and from the D'Entrecasteaux Islands. However, this name has been used more broadly for a species complex that is widely distributed in the mountains of New Guinea. Common name Papua gray frog has been coined for it.
The Pyrenean ibex, Aragonese and Spanish common name bucardo, Basque common name bukardo, Catalan common name herc and French common name bouquetin, was one of the four subspecies of the Iberian ibex or Iberian wild goat, a species endemic to the Pyrenees. Pyrenean ibex were most common in the Cantabrian Mountains, Southern France, and the northern Pyrenees. This species was common during the Holocene and Upper Pleistocene, during which their morphology, primarily some skulls, of the Pyrenean ibex was found to be larger than other Capra subspecies in southwestern Europe from the same time.
