The Pyrenean frog or Pyrenees frog (''Rana pyrenaica'') 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 ...

s in the family Ranidae found in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

mountains of France and Spain. 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 fast-moving mountain

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

s and their surroundings. 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 ...

lists it as "

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Description

The Pyrenean frog is the smallest species of brown frog in Europe, with adults reaching a snout-to-vent length of about , 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 Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

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 The common frog or grass frog (''Rana temporaria''), also known as the European common frog, European common brown frog, European grass frog, European Holarctic true frog, European pond frog or European brown frog or simply the frog, is a semi ...

(''Rana temporaria'') by being smaller, having a less-pointed snout and less-distinct markings.

Distribution and habitat

The Pyrenean frog is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

with most populations being on the Spanish slopes at altitudes between about . Its range extends from the

Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (Parque nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido) is an IUCN Category II National Park situated in the Pyrenees. There has been a National Park in the Ordesa Valley since 1918. Its protected area was enlarged in 1 ...

to the Roncal Valley in the

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

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.

Behaviour

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. 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.

Status

The

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 stat ...

lists the Pyrenean frog as being an "

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

". This is because its numbers are decreasing, its total area of occupancy is less than and even within this range, its populations are fragmented. 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 Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

References

* Manenti R. & Bianchi B. (2011). A new western limit for ''Rana pyrenaica'' Serra-Cobo 1993 in the Irati region (Pyrenees). ''Herpetology Notes'' 4:403-404. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1769180 Rana (genus) Amphibians described in 1993 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot