Iberian disc beater
| Iberian disc beater | ||||||||||||
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Iberian disc beater ( Discoglossus galganoi ) |
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| Discoglossus galganoi | ||||||||||||
| Lanza , Nascetti , Capula , Bullini & Crespo , 1985 |
The Iberian disc beater ( Discoglossus galganoi ) is a species of amphibian from the genus of the real disc beater , which is native to the Iberian Peninsula . The specific epithet honors the Italian biologist Mario Galgano (1907–1985).
features
The Iberian disc beater has a body length of about 35 to 80 mm, with the males reaching a maximum of 80 and the females about 70 mm. Most adult specimens, however, are between four and six inches long. The body is compressed with a flat head that is slightly wider than it is long. The back color is very variable and can be brownish, green, gray, yellowish or reddish. On the back and flanks there may be dark brown spots with a light border, two light side stripes and a corresponding central stripe or no markings at all. The ventral side is whitish in color. The skin is relatively smooth, apart from gland complexes and gland ridges in the middle of the back. These are a bit more prominent in the females.
The pupil is inverted, teardrop-shaped, and the tongue, as in all disc-dwellers, is disc-shaped. Further features of the animal are webbed feet (up to three quarters of the back toe length in males, much smaller in females and young animals) and smooth toes on the underside. The males have no vocal sacs , but have dark oestrus calluses on the insides of the fingers and dark cornifications in the chin and chest area and on the toes during the mating season .
distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the Iberian disc beak is limited to the Iberian Peninsula, whereby the nominate form D. galganoi galganoi can be found more in the western area, i.e. in Portugal as well as northwest and western Spain. The subspecies D. galganoi jeanneae , which until recently was regarded as a separate species, can be found in several regions of eastern and southern Spain.
This frog is relatively strongly tied to water habitats and can therefore be found mainly in flowing and smaller stagnant bodies of water.
Way of life
The animals are diurnal and nocturnal, with the main activity times depending heavily on the temperatures. The mating season is not seasonal and lasts almost the entire year: the reproductive season begins in October and ends in late summer. During this time, the females produce clutches of up to six times, each time a total of 300 to 1500 eggs (corresponding to 4900 to 5600 eggs throughout the year), which are released individually or as small spawning balls. They mate with several males - whereby the amplexus occurs in the lumbar region - and lay portions of 20 to 50 eggs on the bottom of the water.
The tadpoles hatch after an embryonic period of two to six days, depending on the water temperature. They hatch from 25 to 35 mm and are diurnal. Most tadpoles are found in December, March, and May. The larval development takes 22 to 60 days and the young frog after metamorphosis has a length of about 10 mm. It reaches sexual maturity after 3 to 5 years. The lifespan is estimated at around 9 years.
Systematics
The Iberian disc lobster is classified as a species within the real disc lobster ( Discoglossus ). The biological classification of the genus Discoglossus on the Iberian Peninsula underwent a fundamental re-evaluation at the end of the 20th century. In this context, a further species was delimited in 1986 by morphometric and biochemical characteristics with Discoglossus jeanneae . In 2006, however, it was postulated that this would only be classified as a subspecies of D. galganoi .
Danger
The Iberian disc beater is classified as Least Concern in the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species because it has a relatively large range, is more adaptable to habitat changes and is believed to have a relatively large total population.
Evidence cited
- ↑ Discoglossus galganoi in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2007. Posted by: Bosch, J., Beja, P., Tejedo, M., Lizana, M., Martínez-Solano, I., Salvador, A., García- París, M. & Gil, ER, 2004. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
literature
- Axel Kwet: Reptiles and Amphibians of Europe . Franckh'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 2005, page 67. ISBN 3-440-10237-8
