The Corsican painted frog (''Discoglossus montalentii'') is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

s in the family

Alytidae The Alytidae are a family of primitive frogs. Their common name is painted frogs or midwife toads. Most are endemic to Europe, but three species occur in northwest Africa, and a species formerly thought to be extinct is found in Israel. This fam ...

(formerly Discoglossidae). It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the French island of Corsica. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are temperate

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

Description

The Corsican painted frog is very similar in appearance to the Tyrrhenian painted frog but has a noticeably more rounded snout and a flatter back. The fourth finger of its front foot is tapering and not spatulate, and its hind legs are longer. It grows to about long. The colour varies and is either plain brown, grey or reddish brown, or one of these colours with dark brown spots. The underside is pale. The call is more musical than other painted frogs and consists of a repeated "poop – poop – poop".

Distribution and habitat

The Corsican painted frog is found only on the island of Corsica. It mainly occurs in the central region at altitudes of , especially in mountain torrents and both still and flowing water in woods and forests. It shares its range with the Tyrrhenian painted frog (''(Discoglossus sardus)'') but is a more montane species, adept at leaping from rock to rock.

Biology

Like other members of its family, the Corsican painted frog eats small invertebrates. It is unclear whether observations of this frog in the past were of ''D. sardus'' or ''D. montalentii''. This is because they are so similar in appearance and were only recognised as different species in the late 20th century. Consequently, its reproductive habits are uncertain but it is believed to lay its eggs in small groups or singly on the bottom of watercourses. They are brownish-black and in diameter with a thick, gelatinous casing.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q304141 Discoglossus Amphibians of Europe Endemic fauna of Corsica Amphibians described in 1984 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot