Rana saharica

– Least Concern

Taxonomy

Kingdom:

ANIMALIA

Phylum:

CHORDATA

Class:

AMPHIBIA

Order:

ANURA

Family:

RANIDAE

Scientific Name:

Rana saharica

Species Authority:

Boulenger, 1913

Common Name/s:

English	—	SAHARA FROG
French	—	GRENOUILLE VERTE D’AFRIQUE DU NORD
Spanish	—	RANA VERDE NORTEAFRICANA

Taxonomic Notes:

Prior to Uzzell (1982) (who provisionally resurrected the name), this species was considered to be a synonym of Rana perezi, or, following Pasteur and Bons (1959), a synonym of Rana ridibunda. Although northwest African members of the "Rana esculenta" complex are here tentatively regarded as Rana saharica, Hemmer, Konrad and Bachmann (1980), suggested that two species were hybridizing in North Africa. Steinwarz and Schneider (1991), considered it probable that Rana saharica is a junior synonym of Rana perezi.

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria:	LC ver 3.1 (2001)
Year Assessed:	2004
Assessor/s:	Donaire-Barroso, D., Martínez-Solano, I., Salvador, A., García-París, M., Gil, E.R., Tahar, S. & El Mouden, E.H.
Evaluator/s:	Stuart, S., Chanson, J. & Cox, N. (Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team)
Justification:	Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, its presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

Geographic Range

Range Description:

This species is widely distributed (but with fragmented populations due to patchy available habitat) from northwestern Western Sahara, through Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla (Spain), Algeria (south to the Hoggar Massif), Tunisia, northern Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and northwestern Egypt (Siwa Oasis only). It has been introduced in Gran Canaria, Spain. The species has an altitudinal range of sea level to 2,670 m asl.

Range Map:

(click for detailed map)

Countries:

Native:

Algeria; Egypt; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Morocco; Tunisia; Western Sahara

Introduced:

Spain

Population

Population:	It is abundant where suitable wetland habitat exists, and it is the most common amphibian of the Maghreb region. It is localized and uncommon in Egypt (S. Baha El Din pers. comm.).
Population Trend:

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology:

It is mostly confined to montane and wetland areas within its range. The species is largely aquatic, being found in and around streams, oasis pools, irrigation canals, lakes and other waterbodies. Eggs are deposited in water. It is not known whether or not the species can occur in modified habitats.

System:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

List of Habitats:

5.1	Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
5.5	Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)
14.1	Artificial/Terrestrial - Arable Land
15.2	Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below 8ha)
15.7	Artificial/Aquatic - Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels)

Threats

Threats:

The species is presumed to have no major threats, although it might be locally threatened by over-exploitation of water resources, pollution and fragmentation of populations. There has been some loss of habitat around Ceuta and Melilla.

List of Threats:

0	No threats (ongoing)

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions:

This species is listed on Appendix III of the Berne Convention. It occurs in several protected areas.

List of Conservation Actions:

1.2.1.1	Policy-based actions - Legislation - Development - International level (in place)
3.1	Research actions - Taxonomy (needed)
3.2	Research actions - Population numbers and range (needed)
3.3	Research actions - Biology and Ecology (needed)
3.4	Research actions - Habitat status (needed)
3.5	Research actions - Threats (needed)
4.1	Habitat and site-based actions - Maintenance/Conservation (in place)
4.4.2	Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Establishment (in place)

Bibliography

Bibliography:

Amphibian Data. For additional documentation about utilization and CITES status, click on the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) link above to see the GAA account for this species or alternatively follow this link to the search function on the Global Amphibian Assessment web site and run your own search.

Arano, B., Llorente, G.A., Montori, A., Buckley, D. and Herrero, P. 1998. Diversification in north-west African water frogs: molecular and morphological evidence. Herpetological Journal 8(1): 57-64.

Bons, J. 1967. Recherche sur la biogéographie et la biologie des amphibiens et Reptiles du Maroc. Thèse Doct. Sci. Nat. Montpellier, CNRS.

Bons, J. and Geniez, P. 1996. Amphibiens et reptiles du Maroc (Sahara Occidental compris) Atlas Biogéographique. Asociación Herpetológica Española, Barcelona, Spain.

Buckley, D., Arano, B., Herrero, P. and Llorente, G.A. 1996. Population structure of Moroccan water frogs: genetic cohesion despite a fragmented distribution. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 34: 173-179.

Buckley, D., Arano, B., Herrero, P., Llorente, G.A. and Esteban, M. 1995. Moroccan water frogs vs Rana perezi: Allozyme studies show up their differences. Zool. Pol. 39(3-4): 365-375.

Busack, S.D. 1986. Biogeographic analysis of the herpetofauna separated by the formation of the Strait of Gibraltar. National Geographic Research 2(1): 17-36.

Esteban, M., García-París, M., Buckley, D. and Castanet, J. 1999. Bone growth and age in Rana saharica, a water frog living in a desert environment. Ann. Zool. Fennici 36: 53-62.

Geniez, P., Mateo, J.A. and Bons, J. 2000. A checklist of amphibians and reptiles of Western Sahara (Amphibia, Reptilia). Herpetozoa 13(3/4): 149-163.

Hemmer, H., Konrad, A., and Bachmann, K. 1980. Hybridization within the Rana ridibunda complex of North Africa. Amphibia-Reptilia 1(1): 41-48.

Pasteur, G. and Bons, J. 1959. Les Batraciens du Maroc. Trav. Inst. Scient. Chérifien, Rabat, Ser. Zool. 17(14): 1-241.

Pleguezuelos, J.M. 1997. Distribucion y Biogeografia de los Anfibios y Reptiles en España y Portugal. Asociacion Herpetologica Española, Las Palmas de Gran Canarias.

Pleguezuelos, J.M., Márquez, R. and Lizana, M. 2002. Atlas y Libro Rojo de los Anfibios y Reptiles de España. Dirección General de la Conservación de la naturaleza-Associación Herpetológica Española, Madrid.

Plötner, J. 1998. Genetic diversity in mitochondrial 12S rDNA of western Palearctic water frogs (Anura, Ranidae) and implication for their systematics. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 36: 191-201.

Salvador, A. 1996. Amphibians of northwest Africa. Smithsonian Herpetological Information Service 109: 1-43.

Schleich, H.H., Kästle, W. and Kabisch, K. 1996. Amphibians and Reptiles of North Africa. Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein.

Steinwarz, D. and Schneider, H. 1991. Distribution and bioacoustics of Rana perezi Seoane, 1885 (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) in Tunisia. Bonner Zoologische Beiträege 42(3-4): 283-297.

Uzzell, T. 1982. Immunological relationship of western Palearctic water frogs (Salientia: Ranidae). Amphibia-Reptilia 3(2/3): 135-143.

Citation:	Donaire-Barroso, D., Martínez-Solano, I., Salvador, A., García-París, M., Gil, E.R., Tahar, S. & El Mouden, E.H. 2004. Rana saharica. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 September 2008.
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