On trouve parfois, dans l'estomac de la grenouille Pelophylax nigromaculatus, des restes de frelons, des insectes dont une seule piqûre peut être fatale à un petit vertébré. Comment, elle, peut-elle s...

Uczony wiedział, że w żołądkach żaby z gatunku Pelophylax nigromaculatus znajdowano szczątki szerszeni, co wskazywało, że zwierzę to potrafi zaatakować i

Jaapanis asuva Kobe ülikooli bioloog Shinji Sugiura uuris hiljuti, milliseid toite eelistab Ida-Aasias elav konnaliik Pelophylax nigromaculatus. Täpsemalt

In a recent laboratory study, scientists discovered that the Japanese pond frog (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) can survive the sting of the notorious northern

De meerkikker (Pelophylax ridibundus) heeft zich genesteld in Zuidoost-Nederland, met name in Limburg, en breidt zijn territorium uit naar Noord-Brabant, Zuid-Holland en Noord-Holland. Deze oorspronkelijk uit de Balkan en Turkije afkomstige soort, die van nature niet in Nederland voorkomt, vormt een significante bedreiging voor de inheemse amfibieënpopulaties. De introductie van de meerkikker in Nederland wordt vermoedelijk veroorzaakt door de handel in kikkers, waaronder die voor de productie van kikkerbillen. Ook de recente verkoop van exotische kikkervisjes in tuincentra kan een rol hebben gespeeld in de verspreiding van deze invasieve soort. De meerkikker gedijt goed in de Nederlandse...

European water frogs from the genus Pelophylax are particular among amphibians as they can produce hybrids (named kleptons) reproducing by hybridogenesis. Four klepton species have been described in Europe: Pelophylax kl. esculentus, P. kl. hispanicus, P. kl. grafi, and the putative klepton PK. While most of these kleptons originated naturally in areas where the parental species occur in sympatry, human-mediated translocations of water frogs across Europe have altered this dynamic. As a result, several Pelophylax species and kleptons are now found outside their natural ranges, posing a threat to autochthonous water frogs. Additionally, the subtle morphological differences between Pelophylax species make hybrid identification and, thus, conservation difficult. In the present study, we analyzed 423 specimens from 54 populations sampled across Catalonia and implemented a two-step molecular method to identify all species of water frogs present in Catalonia. We also examined the mitochondrial genome of the hybrid Pelophylax kl. grafi to obtain new insights into their reproductive system and spatial structure. Despite the large number of samples analyzed, only the native P. perezi and its klepton P. kl. grafi were found, with the proportion of the latter being unexpectedly high. Results showed a high misidentification rate based on morphology compared to molecular methods, indicating that identification of P. kl. grafi through morphological characters is unreliable. Furthermore, the mitochondrial DNA of hybrid specimens entirely belonged to P. perezi and showed high intra-specific variability. This suggests either a single hybridization event involving a male P. ridibundus or P. kl. esculentus and a female P. perezi, or that P. ridibundus mitochondrial DNA has been eliminated from the P. kl. grafi germline by adaptive or non-adaptive processes. This study offers new insights into the distribution and composition of the North Iberian Pelophylax hybridogenetic complex, providing comprehensive sampling across one of the main entry points of the complex into the Iberian Peninsula.