Graf's hybrid frog (''Pelophylax''
kl. ''grafi'') is a
hybridogenic species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
in the
true frog
True frogs is the common name for the frog family (biology), family Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are p ...
family Ranidae. It is found in France and Spain. Its natural
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...
s are
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
s, intermittent rivers,
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s, freshwater
lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
s, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater
marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes,
arable land, pastureland, and heavily degraded former forest. It is becoming rare due to
habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
.
Taxonomy
It is a hybrid between
Perez's frog and the
marsh frog. It is called ''Grenouille de Graf'' in French.
Description
Graf's hybrid frog is a medium to large frog, with a length of around 12 cm. It is typically green, with dark spots on the back and sometimes a light green band along the center of the back. It can vary in color quite significantly from brown to grayish-brown. It has a bright yellow iris with horizontal oval pupils and visible eardrums. The skin is smooth or slightly bumpy. Males have two white vocal sacs. Eggs have a diameter of between 1 and 2.5 mm, are light brown above and yellowish below.
Distribution
The species is found widely throughout southern France and portions of the Iberian Peninsula. It inhabits a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including freshwater and brackish water bodies of natural or man-made origin.
Ecology
Graf's hybrid frog is a fertile hybrid. Frogs mate via amplexus, with females laying 800 to several thousands eggs in several clusters in shallow water or near vegetation. These eggs are then fertilized by the male.
See also
*
Hybridogenesis in water frogs
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q925933
Amphibians of Europe
grafi
Amphibia hybrids
Amphibians described in 1995
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot