Epirus water frog

The Epirus water frog (Pelophylax epeiroticus) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is found in western Greece, including Kerkyra,[2][3][4] and the southern areas of Albania.[5] The species is collected from the wild for human consumption.

Epirus water frog
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Pelophylax
Species:
P. epeiroticus
Binomial name
Pelophylax epeiroticus
(Schneider, Sofianidou & Kyriakopoulou-Sklavounou, 1984)
Synonyms
  • Rana epeirotica Schneider, Sofianidou & Kyriakopoulou-Sklavounou, 1984

Description

Like most frogs, Epirus water frogs show sexual dimorphism. Males can grow to 2.9 inches (74 mm) in length, with females growing larger to 3.3 inches (84 mm). The dorsal side is typically green with irregular black spots. The underside is pale. Male vocal sacs are olive aside from mating season, when they can turn a dark gray.

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs in Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes and marshes, and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss, and is classified as vulnerable as populations within its relatively small range are fragmented.[1]

Reproductive behavior

The spawning period extends from the end of April to the beginning of May and can change by a few days depending on the latitude and altitude of a population and the local weather. In the case of high reproductive activity, calling begins in the morning at around 9 a.m. and lasts until midnight or longer with a longer break at dusk, during which the frogs are catching insects. Calling Epirus water frogs have been observed at water temperatures between 13 and 24.5 °Celsius.[2]

Mating call

The calls consist of very short pulses with intervals in between, which is why the calls sound creaky. According to the calculated equations, the calls last for 616 milliseconds at a water temperature of 15 °Celsius and consist of 32 pulses. As the temperature rises, the duration of the calls decreases, while the number of pulses per call increases. The frequency spectrum has a strong component between 1400 and 2400 Hertz. The males mostly give the calls in series.[2]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Pelophylax epeiroticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T58592A89698408.
  2. Schneider, H., Sofianidou, T. S., Kyriakopoulou-Sklavounou, P.: Bioacoustic and morphometric studies of water frogs (genus Rana) of Lake Ioannina in Greece, and description of a new species (Anura, Amphibia). In: Zeitschrift für zoologische Systematik und Evolutionsforschung. Volume 22, 1984, pp. 349–366.
  3. Sofianidou, T. S., Schneider, H., Asimakopoulos, B.: Distribution of the water frog Rana epeirotica (Amphibia, Anura) in Greece. In: J. J. van Gelder, H. Strijbosch and P. J. M. Bergers (Eds.). Proceedings of the Fourth Ordinary General Meeting of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica, Nijmegen. 1987, pp. 365–367.
  4. Sofianidou, T. S., Schneider, H.: Distribution range of the Epeirus Frog Rana epeirotica (Anura: Ranidae) and the composition of the water frog populations in western Greece. In: Zologischer Anzeiger. Volume 223, 1989, pp. 13–25.
  5. Schneider, H., Haxhiu, I. (1992): The distribution of the Epeirus frog (Rana epeirotica) in Albania. In: Amphibia-Reptilia. Volume 13, 1992, pp. 293–295.


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