West Iberian Painted Frog, Asturias, Spain, July 2011Lets keep the Amphibian vibe going a little longer. Towards the end our holiday I went for a walk along the road that runs beneath La Cumbre and up towards a small chapel. I had a few days before noticed some tadpoles living in a ditch that ran alongside the road. On this evening other than a short burst of Nightjar churring, it was very quiet.
On this evening as I walked past the ditch I flushed one or two frogs, these dived into the mess of overgrown herbs and grass that had been flooded out by the rising muddy water levels in the ditch. Moving quickly I plunged my right hand into the murky water and located one of the frogs pulling it out for a closer look and to take its picture with the small digital compact camera that I had in my pocket. It posed on the tarmac for a few pictures before disappearing back into the ditch.
Looking in Arnold & Ovenden I am pretty certain that this is a West Iberian Painted Frog Disclogossus galganoi. This is based on range, its pointy head shape, patterning and lack of a visible ear drum. A frog lifer!
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