RANA (RANA) DALMATINA FITZINGER IN BONAPARTE, 1839
AGILE FROG

Order Ecaudate Amphibious - Anura Rafinesque, 1815 (or Ecaudata Scopoli, 1777, or Leaping - Salientia Laurenti, 1768)

Frog Family - Ranidae Gray, 1825

True Frog Genus - Rana Linnaeus, 1758

The genus numbers about 235 species distributed on all continents except for the south of South America, a larger part of Australia, Antarctica and the Arctic region. The Agile Frog is one of the 6 taxons of the species range in the fauna of Ukraine. It belongs to the species group of brown frogs, Rana subgenus, which also comprises brown (Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758) and piked (Rana arvalis Nilsson, 1842) frogs in the fauna of Ukraine. The species is monotypic. The natural habitat covers the territory of Western and Central Europe in the north to Denmark and southern Sweden, in the west - to Iberian Peninsula, in the south - to Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas inclusive.

These animals are average in size, the body is about 40-70 mm long, the nose is pointed. Males have no resonators. The legs are long. The shin is approximately half the length of the body. The inner heel tubera is high and oval, it is 2-3 times shorter than the first digit of the hind limb. The skin on the sides of the body and thighs is smooth. The coloration of the upper part of the body is brown, brick-red, yellowish and grayish on top. There is often a brown glandy A-shaped spot on the neck. Dark spots on the back vary both in quantity and size. The belly is white or white and pink, no spots. The ear-drum is large and is located close enough to the eye. Mating corns on the 1^st digit of the fore limbs of males are grey and brown during the reproduction season.

Status. II Category of the Red Book of Ukraine - "endangered species"; the species is also listed in the Appendix II of the Bern Convention ("animal species under special protection").

Biotopes. Flooded island oak forestlands, partially lower agrocenosises, valleys of small streams and rivers in foothill forests.

Number and Tendencies to Change. Records of these animals show that in spring in places of their spawning their average number amount to 1.4 and later in forestlands 1.3 and in agrocenosises 1.2 frogs per 100 m of the route. A special research also determined that the number of frogs of this species in typical biotopes of Transcarpathia decrease almost 3.7 times over the last 30 years.

Biological Characteristics. The mating period lasts from mid March to April. Reproduction happens in slow and still water bodies in forests or on their edges. Spawn is laid in portions of 15-50 spawn berries each, in general one female lays about 800-1400 eggs. The water temperature in the places of spawning is 5-12°С. Based on the temperature of the water body larvae appear in 8-14 days, they end their metamorphosis approximately in 55 days, the young of this year go on land in late May - early April. It is active at dusk. If the air humidity level is high it was noted to be active 24 hours a day. The frog hibernates at the bottom of water bodies in silt, as well as in hollows on land. It reaches reproductive maturity at 4 years old.