The Balkan frog (''Pelophylax kurtmuelleri'') also known as the Balkan water frog and Greek marsh frog) is a species of
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...
occurring in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
and, to a lesser extent, in
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
,
Montenegro
)
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, and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
. The species highly resembles ''
Pelophylax ridibundus'', from which it was only distinguished in 1991 by bio-acoustic analysis. The separation of the species is not unanimously accepted.
The average length is 72 mm for males, 78 mm for females. The back is green or occasionally brown, often with a light green stripe down the middle, and with darker spots irregularly distributed across the back. The
tympanum is bronze or green surrounded by a darker color.
The species is found across Greece except in the northeastern corner, where ''P. ridibundus'' is found instead. In Western Greece it lives along with ''
Pelophylax epeiroticus''. It occurs from sea level up to 1000 m, though large populations are not found above 600 m. Small introduced populations live in
Denmark
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, establish ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
External links
Amphibiaweb.org listing
Pelophylax
Amphibians of Europe
Amphibians described in 1940
{{Ranidae-stub