| Agile frog | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Rana |
| Species: | R. dalmatina |
| Binomial name | |
| Rana dalmatina | |
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| Distribution (green) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Theagile frog (Rana dalmatina) is a European frog in the genusRana of thetrue frogfamily, Ranidae.[2]
This species is fat and has long limbs and a pointy snout. Adult males are rarely larger than 6.5 cm, while females can grow up to 8 cm. Its dorsal surface islight brown, reddish-brown, or light greyish-brown with very littlecontrast. Triangle-shaped spots reach from thetemple to theeardrum, which aredark brown. The underside of the agile frog is white without any spots. Duringmating season, the males often become dark brown.[3]
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 metres in distance. Thepupils are horizontal. The colour of the upper third of theiris (above the pupil) is lighter andgold in coloration. Thetympanum is about the size of the diameter of theeye. Thegland stripes on the frog's back are not very developed and partially interrupted.
The call is a fairly quiet "rog ... rog ... rog", and can last for up to 12 seconds, and almost sounds like a clucking chicken. They often also call under water, so 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 attract females. InCentral Europe, spawning usually occurs in the first 20 days of March, but can also be delayed, depending on theweather. The spawn clumps consist of 450 to 1800eggs, and are usually attached totree branches,roots, orplant stems at depths of 5–40 cm (2–16 in). Therefore, they rarely sink to the bottom. Unlike themoor frog (Rana arvalis) andcommon frog (Rana temporaria), the agile frog does not lay its spawn all in one clump. The diameter of a single egg, not counting the gelatinous shell, is 1.5–2.1 mm (0.06–0.08 in).[3]
Adults of agile frog eatarthropods likecaterpillars,spiders,millipedes,flies,beetles,cicadas andcollembolans.[4][5][6][7]Tadpoles eatplant material.[8]
The agile frog prefers lightdeciduousmixed forests with plentiful 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 EuropeanRana species, this frog likes warmth and dryness the most.[1]
The agile frog can be found inFrance, theChannel Islands, parts ofGermany,Denmark,Sweden,Italy, theCzech Republic,Slovakia,Austria,Hungary, on theBalkans,Greece, and by theBlack Sea. The species once lived in theGreat Britain, during middleSaxon times, witharchaeological remains recovered inEast Anglia.[9][10]Celtic Reptile & Amphibian have discussedreintroducing the species.[11][12] It has undergone a reintroduction onJersey, byDurrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, as it was very close toextirpation on the island.[13][14]
Media related toRana dalmatina at Wikimedia Commons
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