AMPHIBIAWEB
Rana latastei
family: Ranidae

© 2004 Franco Andreone (1 of 11)

 

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland
View distribution map using BerkeleyMapper.

IUCN (Red List) status: Vulnerable (VU).
For Red List information on this species, see the threat category on the Global Amphibian Assessment Web site.


European Distribution. From Gasc, J.P., et al. Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Europe.



 
Information below is from the Global Amphibian Assessment website, made available here by kind permission of IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Conservation International and NatureServe.
Geographic Range


Range Comments: This species occurs from the lowlands of the Padano Venetian plain of northern Italy and southern Switzerland (where it is restricted to a small area in Kanton Ticino), east to the Triestine and Istrian regions of north-eastern Italy, with a few sites in Slovenia and Croatia. It is present from sea level up to around 500m asl, but sites at higher elevations are unusual.
Biogeographic Realm(s): Palearctic
Distribution Status:
Native Croatia; Italy; Slovenia; Switzerland


Population
It is relatively abundant along some northern tributaries of the Po River, with a few sites existing along southern tributaries. It is occasional and localized in north-western Italy being more common in north-eastern areas. Some of the breeding sites in Switzerland can contain hundreds of individuals. Populations of the species are generally larger in the eastern parts of its range and population genetic diversity decreases sharply from east to west by a factor of three (populations located in the western part of the distribution have severely reduced genetic diversity as measured at microsatellite loci, while populations located in the east do not; T. Garner pers. comm.).
Habitat and Ecology
The original habitat of this species is semi-hygrophilous forest; in secondary habitats it is associated with humid deciduous wooded areas, typically situated alongside small streams, rivers, or lakes, with rich vegetation. It is present in poplar plantations with thick understorey and occasionally meadows (Arnold 2002). It hibernates on land, where it may occur up to a kilometre from water (Arnold 2002). The species breeds in permanent and temporary water in wooded areas, sometimes including slow-moving rivers. It can occur in anthropogenic habitats such as agricultural irrigation ditches, but only if these are close to forest remnants for over wintering (Garner. pers. comm.).
Biomes: Terrestrial, Freshwater
Habitats: (See complete standardized list of habitats)
Forest - Temperate
Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands
Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha)
Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)
Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Inland Deltas
Artificial/Terrestrial - Plantations
Major Threats
This species is threatened by the destruction of much of the original humid deciduous forests of the Padano Venetian plain and Istrian region by extensive agricultural development including drainage and deforestation (with population fragmentation). Additional threats to this species are the introduction of predatory fishes, lowering of the water table, and aquatic pollution. The reduced genetic diversity in western populations might be leading to greater vulnerability to emergent pathogens (T. Garner pers. comm.).

Specific Threat (See complete standardized list of threats) Past Present Future
1 Habitat Loss/Degradation (human induced)
   1.1 Agriculture
     1.1.1 Crops
       1.1.1.3 Agro-industry farming
     1.1.4 Livestock
       1.1.4.3 Agro-industry
   1.3 Extraction
     1.3.3 Wood
       1.3.3.1 Small-scale subsistence
       1.3.3.2 Selective logging
     1.3.6 Groundwater extraction  
   1.4 Infrastructure development
     1.4.1 Industry
     1.4.2 Human settlement
2 Invasive alien species (directly affecting the species)
   2.2 Predators
6 Pollution (affecting habitat and/or species)
   6.3 Water pollution
     6.3.1 Agriculture
     6.3.2 Domestic
     6.3.3 Commercial/Industrial

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Copyright: © 2006 IUCN, Conservation International, and NatureServe

Citation: To cite the GAA website generally, use the following format, changing the access date as appropriate:

IUCN, Conservation International, and NatureServe. 2006. Global Amphibian Assessment. <www.globalamphibians.org>. Accessed in 2006.

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