Hula Painted Frog

According to an ecologist of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the frog's Hebrew name, agulashon shehor-gahon / עגולשון שחור-גחון (Black-bellied round-tongued), derives from its black belly and round tongue.

The Hula painted frog has a dark belly with small white spots. It is colored ochre above with a rusty color grading into dark olive-grey to greyish-black on the sides. Differences from the common painted frog (Discoglossus pictus) include its greater interocular distance, longer forelimbs, and a less projecting snout. On this basis, the Hula painted frog has been labeled a living fossil, the only extant representative of an ancient genetic split

Frogs attack by using their tongue to pull certain smaller creatures into their mouth, whereupon the smaller creature is instantly killed.

It is believed that the number of individuals is declining due to the high predation pressure posed by high density of water birds. This “living fossil” has survived since the Oligocene as well as the destruction of the Hula wetlands. Observations related to the rediscovery suggest that this species may be more terrestrial than initially thought. Adults are mainly nocturnal and burrow into "moist detritus", although adults remain around and can be found in the water during the presumed February-September breeding season. Perl found adults in the Hula Nature Reserve only in areas of peaty soil beneath deep (20-30 cm) leaf litter in areas of dense vegetation.

Renan conducted habitat suitability modelling based on presence-absence surveys using environmental DNA. Their results suggested that the species is concentrated in southern and western areas of the Hula Valley whose original (pre-1950s) habitat was lake or swamp (and which retains dense vegetation cover which may provide important movement corridors during the breeding season). Extant subpopulations appear to be associated with reservoirs and waterbodies in arable land and orchards on organic and colluvial-alluvial soils (Renan et al. 2017). Sites with positive detections ranged from small ponds to large pools and included both lotic and lentic waterbodies, although it is unclear whether rain pools are significant for reproduction as it appears to be associated with permanent water sources. The Yesod HaMa'ala ditch is supplied by a permanent spring and characterized by dense vegetation both within and around the water.

Coming soon

It is only found in two sites near Lake Hula and nearby swamps, and it may have been present in similar adjacent habitats in Syria. The Hula Painted Frog occurs on the edge of freshwater wetlands but recent observation suggests that this species may be more terrestrial.

• Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant

• Population Trend: Unknown

• Population: 50-250

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub; mushroom forests; deserts and xeric shrublands; badlands; flooded grasslands and savannas; swamp; riparian; wetland

• Earth: Israel

• Reinachos: Pascua

Coming soon

Mainly Lake Hula in Israel which is home of frogs that are now living fossil, since the Oligocene as well as the destruction of the Hula wetlands. Consider the scientist is a living fossil because split the midwife toad cousin by ancient lineage. Not be recorded by prehistoric times since it is weird. Make in history of Hula Painted Frogs or native name is agulashon shehor-gahon (Hebrew: עגולשון שחור-גרון, means black-bellied round-tongued) in Hebrew. Until discovered in 2011 as prior to critically endangered. The drainage system of Hula valley started an extinction of two fishes in this lake by agricultural industry and habitat loss, luckily the frog survived. Now a critically endangered species on the IUCN red list is unknown what decreases or increases the population of this frog.

See also: ?

• Korean: 팔레스티나얼룩개구리 (palleseutina-eolluggaeguli)

• Hebrew: עגולשון שחור-גרון (agulashon shehor-gahon)

• Arabic: ضفدع الحولة الملون (dafdae alhawlat almulawan)

• Coming soon

• https://www.amphibians.org/amazing-amphibians/hula-painted-frog/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hula_painted_frog

• http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/hula-painted-frog/

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/6715/13339841

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Hula-Painted-Frog-Latonia-nigriventer-794092509