Levant water frog

Levant water frog
Levant water frog at Saint Raphael Lake, Gozo, Malta
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Ranidae
Genus:	Pelophylax
Species:	P. bedriagae
Binomial name
Pelophylax bedriagae (Camerano, 1882)
Synonyms
Rana bedriagae Camerano, 1882

The Levant water frog or Bedriaga's frog (Pelophylax bedriagae), formerly belonging to the genus Rana, is a southern European species of frog. They are green to brown in color with dark blotches on their dorsal side. They are cousins of the aquatic frogs and live most of the time in the water. They are not poisonous and are quite large, especially the females. It has been introduced in some countries where it was not native, one of which is Malta. First kept as a pet, then recently during the 1990s, it was deliberately introduced to a number of fresh water rock pools in Gozo, where in one it sustains a large population. Though a prolific and invasive species, it is restricted to constant fresh water supply, so it cannot spread naturally on its own on arid Mediterranean islands.

Etymology

This species is named for herpetologist Jacques von Bedriaga.

Mating pair

References

SCIBERRAS, A. & SCHEMBRI,P.J. (2006) Rana bedriagae. Herpetological review 37(1):102.

SCIBERRAS, A. & SCHEMBRI,P.J. (2006) Occurrence of Alien Bedriaga's frog (Rana bedriagae) Camerano, 1882 in the Maltese Islands, and implications for conservation. Herpetological Bulletin-Number 95:.2-5.

• Papenfuss; et al. (2004). "Rana bedriagae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004. Retrieved 5 May 2006.{{cite iucn}}: old-form url (help) Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern