By José Antonio Sánchez Iglesias
Posted in Doñana info, Fauna
There are 11 registered species of amphibians in the Doñana area. Conservation problems related to the alarming decline in the number of individuals are mainly caused by collisions, fishing in marshland areas, habitat destruction and use of pesticides, especially in rice fields. It has also been suggested that the introduction of the american crayfish in the marshes in 1973 has significantly reduced the abundance of amphibians by direct predation or competition for resources. (Text extracted from the publication “Doñana: Agua y Biosfera”)
Source of information: Doñana Biological Station.
1.- Spanish ribbed newt – Pleurodeles waltl (Michahelles, 1830)
IUCN red list category (2009): Near Threatened (NT). Species restricted to the center and south of the Iberian Peninsula and the coastal plains of Morocco.
2.- Southern marbled newt – Triturus pygmaeus (Wolterstorff, 1905). Iberian endemism.
IUCN red list category (2009): Vulnerable (VU). IUCN. Recently a revision of their status in Andalucia has been made and it´s considered Vulnerable to Extinction in this region. It occurs only in the southwestern quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula.
3.- Iberian newt – Lissotriton boscai (Lataste, 1879). Iberian endemism.
IUCN red list category (2009): Least concern (LC). It only occurs in the western half of the Iberian Peninsula.
4.- Mediterranean tree frog – Hyla meridionalis (Boettger, 1874)
IUCN red list category (2009): Least concern LC. It differs from Hyla arborea by having a dark lateral band only from the nostril (nose) to behind the eardrum.
5.- Perez’s frog – Pelophylax perezi (López Seoane, 1885)
IUCN red list category (2009): Least concern (LC). It is found in southern France and across the whole of the Iberian Peninsula. It has been introduced to the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands (Spain), two sites in the United Kingdom (Sheppey, Kent and Newdigate, Surrey) and Madeira and the Azores (Portugal). It occurs from sea level up to 2,380m asl (Sierra Nevada, Spain)
6.- Natterjack toad – Epidalea calamita (Laurenti, 1768)
IUCN red list category (2009): Least concern (LC).
7.- Western spadefoot – Pelobates cultripes (Cuvier, 1829)
IUCN red list category (2009): Near Threatened (NT). This species is present in most of the Iberian Peninsula (except the northern area of the Peninsula and parts of central and northern Portugal), and southern France. There are also isolated populations in western France.
8.- Spiny toad – Bufo spinosus (Daudin, 1803)
IUCN red list category (2009): Least concern (LC). Split from the widely spread Bufo bufo, it is found in northern Arica, Iberian Peninsula and south and west of France. It is still to be determined the area of contact with bufo bufo but it is likely to spread also over central France. It grows to a larger size and has a spinier skin than its more northern counterparts.
9.- Iberian midwife toad – Alytes cisternasii (Boscá, 1879). Iberian endemism.
IUCN red list category (2009): Near Threatened (NT). This species is restricted to southern and eastern Portugal and western and central Spain, from 100-1,300 m.
10.- Iberian painted frog – Discoglossus galganoi (Capula, Nascetti, Lanza, Bullini y Crespo, 1985). Iberian endemism.
IUCN red list category (2009): Least concern (LC). The species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and most of western Spain), where it is found at altitudes ranging from sea level to 1,940m.
11.- Iberian parsley frog – Pelodytes ibericus (Sánchez-Herráiz, Barbadillo, Machordom y Sanchiz, 2000). Iberian endemism.
IUCN red list category (2009): Least concern (LC). It is locally abundant in suitable habitat in Spain, and it is increasing in Donana. Andalucia concentrates 90% of the world population. It is considered to be scarce in Portugal.