Mediterranean Painted Frog

About the Mediterranean Painted Frog

Discoglossus pictus, the Mediterranean painted frog or simply painted frog, is a species of frog in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). Discoglossus pictus is found Mediterranean Africa in northeast Morocco, northern Algeria, and Tunisia, in the islands of Sicily (Italy) and Malta; introduced populations exist in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. Discoglossus scovazzi from Morocco was previously considered a subspecies of D. pictus. Initially, only the former was thought to occur in Morocco, but later research has shown that also D. pictus is present there.

As the common name implies, these frogs can have colorful markings. Three pattern variations occur in this species - almost uniformly colored animals, animals with large, dark spots with bright edges, and animals with two dark brown longitudinal bands, one bright band along the back, and two bright bands along the sides. The belly is whitish. The body is stout with a flat head that is wider than it is long. The dorsal glands are arranged in longitudinal patterns along the back, or can be absent. The pupils are shaped like an upside-down droplet. Mating in North Morocco takes... Wikipedia →