The Iberian midwife toad or brown midwife toad (''Alytes cisternasii''), in Portuguese , is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Alytidae The Alytidae are a family (biology), family of primitive frogs. Their common name is painted frogs or midwife toads. Most are Endemism, endemic to Europe, but three species occur in northwest Africa, and a species formerly thought to be extinct i ...

(formerly Discoglossidae) found in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and western

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is typically found in open habitats such as meadows and open oak forests.

Habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

is one of the threats to its survival.

Description

The Iberian midwife toad grows to a length of about , males being rather smaller than females. The snout is rounded and the eyes large, with vertical slit pupils. Tiny, often orange, warts occur on the upper eyelids. The

parotoid gland The parotoid gland (alternatively, paratoid gland) is an external skin gland on the back, neck, and shoulder of some frogs (especially toads), and salamanders. It can secrete a number of milky alkaloid substances (depending on the species) known ...

s are relatively small and the tympani are distinct. Many tubercles are seen on the body and concentrations of glandular warts are under the arms, in the groin area, and on the ankles. The limbs are fairly short. The colour of the upper surface is brownish-grey with dark spots, and the warts are often reddish. The underparts are unspotted and greyish-white.

Distribution and habitat

This toad is native to Portugal and western Spain at altitudes up to above sea level. Its preferred habitat is Mediterranean-type scrub, rough grazing, and light oak woodland.

Biology

Mating takes place in the autumn and the eggs are laid on land. The male then gathers up the egg mass and wraps it round his legs, carrying it around until the developing embryos are ready to hatch. He can carry as many as 180 eggs resulting from four clutches laid by different females. The male deposits the hatching tadpoles in suitable water bodies where they continue their development.

Metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...

occurs about four months later when the tadpoles measure about in length.

Status

The main threats it faces are the degradation of suitable terrestrial habitat, pollution, loss of suitable breeding pools, and the introduction of the invasive crayfish '' Procambarus clarkii'' and non-native fishes that prey on the

tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s. It is also threatened by the infectious fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q927501 Alytes Endemic amphibians of the Iberian Peninsula Amphibians described in 1879 Taxa named by Eduardo Boscá Taxonomy articles created by Polbot