Agile Frog
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| Rana dalmatina Bonaparte, 1840 |
The Agile Frog (Rana dalmatina) is a frog in the genus Rana in the family of the true frogs.
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[edit] Physical description
This species are skinny and have long limbs and a pointy snout. Adult males are rarely larger than 6.5 centimeters, while females can get up to 8 centimeters. Its ventral surface is light brown, reddish-brown, or light greyish-brown with very little contrast. There are triangles reaching from the temple to the eardrum, which are dark brown. The underside of the Agile Frog is white without any spots. During mating season, the males often become dark brown. The hind legs are unusually long, which allow this species to jump further than other similar frogs - they have been known to jump up to two meters in distance. The pupils are horizontal. The color of the upper third of the iris (above the pupil) is lighter and gold in coloration. The tympanum is about the size of the diameter of the eye. The gland stripes on the frogs back are not very developed and partially interrupted.
[edit] Reproduction
The call is a fairly quiet "wog ... wog ... wog", and can go on for up to 12 seconds. They often also call underwater, so that the calls can only be heard from a very short distance by observers. Spawning only lasts a few days and during this period the males sometimes gather in large calling groups on the water surface to attracts females. In Central Europe, spawing usually occurs in the first 20 days of March, but can also be delayed, depending on the weather.
The spawn clumps consist of 450 to 1800 eggs and are usually attached to tree branches, roots, or plant stems at depths of 5 to 40 centimeters. Therefore, they rarely sink to the bottom. Unlike the Moor Frog (Rana arvalis) and Common Frog (Rana temporaria), the Agile Frog does not lay its spawn all in the one clump. The diameter of a single egg is - not counting - the gelatinous shell, is 1.5 to 2.1 millimeters.
[edit] Habitat
The agile frog prefers light deciduous mixed forests with a lot of water. The open land around a forest is often also populated, as long as it is connected to the forest by shrubs. In dry, warm forests, this species often also lives far away from the water. Of the three Middle European Rana, it is the frog which likes warmth and dryness the most.
The Agile Frog can be found in France, parts of Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, on the Balkans, even in Greece and by the Black Sea.
[edit] References
- Kuzmin, S. et al. (2004). Rana dalmatina. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern
This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.
