Italian agile frog

The Italian agile frog (Rana latastei), also known as Lataste's frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae (true frogs). The species is native to southern Europe.

Italian agile frog
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Rana
Species:
R. latastei
Binomial name
Rana latastei
Boulenger, 1879

Etymology

The specific name, latastei, is in honor of French herpetologist Fernand Lataste.[1]

Description

Rana latastei may attain a head-body length of 7.5 cm (3.0 in). The throat is dark, with a light narrow central stripe.[2]

Geographic range

Rana latastei is endemic to the plains of northern Italy, the extreme southern tip of Switzerland, the Istrian region of Slovenia, and adjacent Croatia[3]. In Italy, populations are reported from four regions: Lombardy, Venetia, Piedmont and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, but the species is most abundant in the former two. Its distribution mainly follows the Po River plains and tributaries[4].

Habitat

R. latastei is a decidedly lowland species and rarely occurs above 400 m a. s. l., only going up to the lower foothills of mountains, where the colder climate affects larval development[5]. The Italian agile frog inhabits oak and hornbeam-dominated plain woods, hygrophilous woods and riparian woods characterized by white poplar and white willow trees. This types of woods may regularly inundate. It has also been reported from open habitats like wet meadwos or peat bogs[4].

Reproduction

Between late February and mid-April, males and females gather at breeding sites. Reproduction activities occurs in small permanent or temporal water bodies with extensive aquatic vegetation or submerged plant material, such as ponds, ditches or floodplain puddles. The minimum water temperature for egg deposition is reported as 2°C, and eggs hatch after 10 to 15 days. As with other European frogs of the genus, metamorphosis is completed after circa 3 months. Females leave the breeding site immediately after spawing, whereas males and juveniles remain there for up to 5 weeks[4].

Conservation Status

The IUCN lists this species as Vulnerable (VU)[3]. Major threats include habitat destruction and fragmentation, as it is highly adapted to the floodplain woods of the Po River basin. To enhance the protection of this species, several conservation areas were proposed in Italy, and frog tadpoles bred and translocated to suitable sites[6].


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References
  1. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing Ltd. xiii + 262 pp.
    ISBN 978-1-907807-41-1.
  2. Arnold EN, Burton JA (1978). A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. London: Collins. 272 pp. (Rana latastei, pp. 81-82 + Plate 11 + Map 39).
  3. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Rana latastei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 14 December 2008. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2009.rlts.t19156a8845034.en. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  4. Barbieri, Francesco; Bernini, Franco (1 January 2004). "Distribution and status of Rana latastei in Italy (Amphibia, Ranidae)". Italian Journal of Zoology. 71 (sup1): 91–94. doi:10.1080/11250003.2004.9525542. ISSN 1125-0003.
  5. Ficetola, Gentile Francesco; Bernardi, Fiorenza De (2005). "Supplementation or in situ conservation? Evidence of local adaptation in the Italian agile frog Rana latastei and consequences for the management of populations". Animal Conservation. 8 (1): 33–40. doi:10.1017/S1367943004001805. ISSN 1469-1795.
  6. Scali, Stefano; Gentili, Augusto; Barbieri, Francesco; Bernini, Franco; Vercesi, Alberto (15 November 2001). "Un progetto integrato per la conservazione degli anfibi in Lombardia" (PDF). Pianura. 13: 21-123.

Further reading
  • Boulenger GA (1879). "Étude sur les grenouilles rousses, Ranæ temporariæ et description d'espèces nouvelles ou méconnues ". Bull. Soc. Zool. France 4: 158–193. (Rana latastei, new species, pp. 180-183). (in French).


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