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The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Rana ridibunda

 – Least Concern

Taxonomy

Kingdom: ANIMALIA
Phylum: CHORDATA
Class: AMPHIBIA
Order: ANURA
Family: RANIDAE
Scientific Name: Rana ridibunda
Species Authority: Pallas, 1771
Common Name/s: EURASIAN MARSH FROG (Eng)
Taxonomic Notes: Rana ridibunda is the central member of the Rana ridibunda complex. Investigations of mitochondrial DNA suggest that populations from the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia might represent a separate species. The taxonomy of Anatolian waterfrogs (including Rana ridibunda) is still unclear; some authors suggest that the presence of Rana ridibunda in Turkey cannot be established on the basis of morphometric data.

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria: LC    ver 3.1 (2001)
Year Assessed: 2004
Assessor/s: Kuzmin, S. et al. (see rationale for full list of assessors)
Evaluator/s: Stuart, S., Chanson, J. & Cox, N. (Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team)
Justification: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, 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 is a widespread species in western, central and eastern Europe and ranges as far eastwards as eastern Kazakhstan. There are introduced populations in the southeast United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belgium (Wallonia), Spain (Villasbuenas de Gata, Cáceres and unspecified localities in Galicia, Cataluña and Comunidad Valenciana), Siberia and Kamchatka, Russia and northwestern Xinjiang (Yining, Tacheng, Wenquan, Huocheng and Xinyuan), China. It is present throughout Turkey (although this might represent a separate taxon), possibly Syrian Arab Republic, much of Iran, northeastern Iraq and most of northern Afghanistan (absent from Pakistan). Isolated populations are present in Bahrain (it is not known as to whether or not this is an introduction) and within Saudi Arabia (relict populations in the southern Hadramaut, and an introduction at Al Kharj). Further investigations are needed into the range of the species within Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Numerous introductions have expanded the range in Siberia and Kamchatka. In Central Asia, it is often difficult to distinguish between the periphery of natural range and the areas occupied after dispersal and introductions. Numerous populations in Kazakhstan have originated through deliberate introductions from local laboratories and universities. The species was introduced into Siberia and Kamchatka through the accidental introduction of tadpoles with fish into reservoirs with warm discharge waters from electric power stations. The native presence of the species in Serbia and Montenegro requires confirmation. It occurs from sea level to altitudes of around 2,500 m asl.
Range Map:
(click for detailed map)
Countries: Native:

Afghanistan; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Belarus; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czech Republic; Denmark; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Lithuania; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Moldova, Republic of; Netherlands; Poland; Romania; Slovakia; Slovenia; Tajikistan; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; Uzbekistan


Introduced:

Belgium; China; Kazakhstan; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Spain; Switzerland; United Kingdom


Regionally extinct:

Estonia


Uncertain presence and origin:

Montenegro; Serbia

Population

Population: This is generally a common to abundant species where it occurs.
Population Trend: Up

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology: It is a highly opportunistic amphibian, living in mixed and deciduous forests, forest steppe, and steppe and other grasslands, semi-desert and desert zones. Arid areas are largely colonised through river valleys and channels. The frog prefers open, well-warmed areas with abundant herbaceous vegetation. It is a semi-aquatic species, inhabiting (and breeding in) a wide variety of flowing and stagnant water habitats, from shallow puddles and ponds to large lakes, reservoirs, rivers and brooks. It may also be found in slightly saline water; on the northern shore of the Apsheron Peninsula (Caspian Sea), reproduction has been observed in marine water at a distance of 0.5-1 m from the shore. It is present in many modified habitats.
System: Terrestrial; Freshwater
List of Habitats:
1.1Forest - Boreal
1.4Forest - Temperate
1.5Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry
3.4Shrubland - Temperate
3.5Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry
4.4Grassland - Temperate
5.1Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
5.2Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks
5.4Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands
5.5Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)
5.6Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)
5.7Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)
5.8Wetlands (inland) - Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)
5.9Wetlands (inland) - Freshwater Springs and Oases
5.12Wetlands (inland) - Geothermal Wetlands
5.13Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Inland Deltas
7.2Caves and Subterranean Habitats (non-aquatic) - Other Subterranean Habitats
8.1Desert - Hot
8.2Desert - Temperate
9.10Marine Neritic - Estuaries
13.5Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal Freshwater Lakes
14.1Artificial/Terrestrial - Arable Land
14.2Artificial/Terrestrial - Pastureland
14.3Artificial/Terrestrial - Plantations
14.4Artificial/Terrestrial - Rural Gardens
14.5Artificial/Terrestrial - Urban Areas
15.1Artificial/Aquatic - Water Storage Areas (over 8ha)
15.2Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below 8ha)
15.3Artificial/Aquatic - Aquaculture Ponds
15.5Artificial/Aquatic - Excavations (open)
15.6Artificial/Aquatic - Wastewater Treatment Areas
15.7Artificial/Aquatic - Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels)
15.8Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land
15.9Artificial/Aquatic - Canals and Drainage Channels, Ditches
16Introduced vegetation

Threats

Threats: There are no major threats to this adaptable species. Loss of breeding habitats may lead to localized declines, but it is very resistant to environmental pollution and animals may be found in highly polluted waters (such as chemical or metallurgic pollution) where other amphibian species cannot survive. Severe, or prolonged, droughts may lead to localized population declines of this frog in arid areas. The harvesting of this species for educational and medical research, or food, appears to have little effect on some populations, although the frog-leg trade and high levels of pollution are leading to significant declines in populations in eastern Asia, in the former Yugoslavia (Dzukic, 1996; Ljubisavljevic et al. 2003) and possibly also in Romania.
List of Threats:
0No threats (ongoing)

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions: It is listed on Annex V of the EU Natural Habitats Directive and on Appendix III of the Berne Convention, and is protected by national legislation in a number of countries. It is listed in a number of national and regional Red Data Books and Lists, and is present in many protected areas. There is a need to control or eliminate this species where it has been introduced outside its natural range, as it is a threat to native species. In parts of its range, mitigation measures to reduce road kill have been established.
List of Conservation Actions:
1.2.1.1Policy-based actions - Legislation - Development - International level (in place)
1.2.1.2Policy-based actions - Legislation - Development - National level (in place)
1.2.2.1Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - International level (in place)
1.2.2.2Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - National level (in place)
1.2.2.3Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - Sub-national level (in place)
3.1Research actions - Taxonomy (needed)
3.2Research actions - Population numbers and range (needed)
3.3Research actions - Biology and Ecology (needed)
3.4Research actions - Habitat status (needed)
3.6Research actions - Uses and harvest levels (needed)
3.9Research actions - Trends/Monitoring (needed)
4.1Habitat and site-based actions - Maintenance/Conservation (in place)
4.4.2Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Establishment (in place)
4.4.3Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Management (in place)
5.3.1Species-based actions - Sustainable use - Harvest management (needed)
5.3.2Species-based actions - Sustainable use - Trade management (needed)

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.

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Citation: Kuzmin, S. et al. 2004. Rana ridibunda. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 July 2008.
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