The Iberian painted frog (''Discoglossus galganoi'') 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). It is 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

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 ...

, where its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are temperate

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s, temperate

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation,

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s, intermittent rivers,

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s, freshwater

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es, intermittent freshwater marshes, sandy shores,

arable land Arable land (from the , "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the purposes of a ...

, and grassland. It is threatened by

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 ...

Description

This small frog has a broad head and stout body. It usually has longitudinal rows of warts on its back, but these are not present in all individuals. The pupils of the eyes are said to resemble an "upside-down droplet". This frog occurs in three different colour forms - a plain shade of greyish-brown, a pattern of large dark spots with pale rims, and a dorsal and two lateral bright bands on a dark background.

Distribution and habitat

The Iberian painted frog is endemic to Spain and Portugal. It occurs at altitudes of up to and its typical habitats include open areas, rough grassland, thickets, woodland verges, swamps, and gulleys, usually in or near water.

Biology

The breeding period usually lasts from October to December. Females mate several times and can produce as many as 5,000 eggs in several clutches during the season. The eggs are laid in water either singly or in small groups, on the bottom or attached to plants. They hatch after 2-6 days according to the temperature. 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 undergo

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 ...

after between 22 and 60 days of development, and the juveniles are about 1 cm (0.4 in) long when they leave the water.

Status

The Iberian painted frog is listed by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

as being of

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

. It is common over most of its range and the number of individuals may be declining slowly, but the rate of loss is not sufficient to justify placing it in a more threatened category.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1518297 Discoglossus Amphibians described in 1985 Endemic amphibians of the Iberian Peninsula Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Habitats Directive species