The Majorcan midwife toad (''Alytes muletensis'') (also Mallorcan midwife toad or ferreret in
Balearic Catalan and
Spanish) is a
frog in the family
Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). It is
endemic to the
Balearic Island of
Majorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
in the
Mediterranean Sea. An example of
Lazarus taxon, the species was first described from fossil remains in 1977, but living animals were discovered in 1979.
The species, considered "vulnerable" by the
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
, is currently restricted to isolated mountain rivers in the island's
Serra de Tramuntana
The Serra de Tramuntana (, es, Sierra de Tramontana) is a mountain range running southwest–northeast which forms the northern backbone of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is also the name given to the comarca of the same area. On 27 June 201 ...
and has an estimated population of 500 breeding pairs in the wild. It does exist and reproduce easily in captivity, however. The Majorcan midwife toad is thought to have disappeared from most of the island as a result of the
introduction of competitors and predators from the mainland in ancient times. Reintroduction of the species in additional areas has taken place since 1988, with many new breeding populations now well established.
Characteristics
Like all
midwife toads, the male of the species always carries the developing
eggs during the months of May and June. Generally the head and legs are large in comparison to the rest of the body. Unusually, the female of the species competes for the male, even grappling against other individuals in order to secure a
mate. Both male and female frogs use a series of noises in order to attract a mate during
courtship. Comparatively the female is larger than the male (Male: 34.7 mm, Female: 38 mm).
Distribution
The species is endemic to Majorca, and is found only in the mountainous regions and
gorges of the
Serra de Tramuntana
The Serra de Tramuntana (, es, Sierra de Tramontana) is a mountain range running southwest–northeast which forms the northern backbone of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is also the name given to the comarca of the same area. On 27 June 201 ...
. In this area, the species inhabits streams in limestone caverns, where they hide under boulders and stones.
Status
The Majorcan midwife toad was first discovered in 1977 and was described as ''Baleaphryne muletensis.'' Only later the toad was accounted as a midwife toad. This was due to the fact that the species was thought extinct and was described from the fossil record. Later the species was 'rediscovered' in 1979 when froglets and young frogs were discovered. Currently the species is protected as a Majorcan endemic species, and breeding programs have been started to prevent the extinction of this species. The number of wild animals is estimated at around 300 to 700 breeding pairs. It was previously housed and bred at the
Durrell Wildlife Park, with the goal of releasing into the wild, which was successful.
References
External links
*Amphibia Web http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amphib_query?query_src=aw_maps_geo-euro&where-genus=Alytes&where-species=muletensis&rel-genus=equals&rel-species=equals (Accessed August 21, 2012)
*Encyclopedia of Life http://eol.org/pages/1039071/details (Accessed August 21, 2012)
*Arkive https://web.archive.org/web/20120825083227/http://www.arkive.org/mallorcan-midwife-toad/alytes-muletensis/ (Accessed August 21, 2012)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q61523
Alytes
Endemic fauna of the Balearic Islands
Fauna of Mallorca
Amphibians of Europe
Amphibians described in 1977