Alytes obstetricans (Laurenti, 1768)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Alytidae > Genus: Alytes > Species: Alytes obstetricans

Bufo obstetricans Laurenti, 1768, Spec. Med. Exhib. Synops. Rept.: 128. Type(s): Including frog named Bufo terrestris minor in "Hist. de l'Acad. Des Scienc. 1741". Type locality: not stated; designated as "Frankreich" (= France) by Mertens and Müller, 1928, Abh. Senckenb. Naturforsch. Ges., 41: 17.

Bombinator obstetricans — Merrem, 1820, Tent. Syst. Amph.: 179.

Rana obstetricans —Wolf In Sturm, 1828, Deutschl. Fauna, Amph.: 3.

Alytes obstetricans — Wagler, 1830, Nat. Syst. Amph.: 206; Wiegmann, 1832, in Wiegmann and Ruthe (eds.), Handbuch der Zool., Amph.: 201; Leunis, 1860, Synops. Drei Naturr., Zool., Ed. 2: 146.

Obstetricans vulgaris Dugès, 1834, Rech. Osteol. Myol. Batr.: 7. Substitute name for Bufo obstetricans Laurenti, 1768.

Alytes obstetricans de l'Islei Lataste, 1879, Rev. Internatl. Sci., 2nd year, Paris, 4: 543. Type(s): Not stated, although likely originally in Lataste's personal collection and presumably ultimately deposited in the BMNH. Type locality: "parait confinée sur un territoire presque aussi restreint, en deçà de pyrenees et des Alpes, s'avançant peu au delà des limites de la France vers le nord . . . . versant français des Pyrénées", France. Synonymy by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 449.

Alytes obstetricans obstretricans — Lataste, 1879, Rev. Internatl. Sci., 2nd year, Paris, 4: 543.

Alytes obstetricans boscai Lataste, 1879, Rev. Internatl. Sci., 2nd year, Paris, 4: 543. Syntype(s): 5 specimens in IRSNB, MNHNP (although not currently located), and Burdeos [= Bordeaux, museum unknown—DRF], by original designation. IRSNB 1924 (formerly I.G. 4413 Reg. 167B) designated lectotype by García-París and Martínez-Solano, 2001, Rev. Esp. Herpetol., 15: 110. Type locality: "a Méditerranée (Valencia del Cid) à l'Atlantique (Puentevedra), la péninsule ibérique, et ne pas le dépasser", Spain. Restricted to "Valencia" by Mertens and Wermuth, 1960, Amph. Rept. Europas: 38. Data associated with lectotype ""España" although the authors discussed the issue and regarded the type locality to be environs of "Tuy in the provincia Pontevedra", Spain.

Alytes obstetricans var. boscae — Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 449. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Alytes obstetricans var. Boscae — Schreiber, 1912, Herpetol. Eur., Ed. 2: 167. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Alytes campanisonus boscai — Lindholm, 1929, Zool. Anz., 85: 80.

Alytes (Alytes) obstetricans obstetricans — Dubois, 1987 "1986", Alytes, 5: 12.

Alytes (Alytes) obstetricans boscai — Dubois, 1987 "1986", Alytes, 5: 12.

Alytes obstetricans almogavarii Arntzen and García-París, 1995, Bijdr. Dierkd., 65: 29. Holotype: MNCN 16663, by original designation. Type locality: "Rasos de Peguera, Berga, Provincia de Barcelona, Spain".

Alytes obstetricans pertinax García-París and Martínez-Solano, 2001, Rev. Esp. Herpetol., 15: 105. Holotype: MNCN 23918, by original designation. Type locality: "La Tola, Municipio de Casas Ibáñez, Provincia de Albacete", Spain.

Alytes (Alytes) obstetricans almogavarii — García-París, Monton, and Alonso-Zarazaga, 2004, in García-París et al. (eds.), Fauna Iberica, 24: 595.

Alytes (Alytes) obstetricans pertinax — García-París, Monton, and Alonso-Zarazaga, 2004, in García-París et al. (eds.), Fauna Iberica, 24: 595.

English Names

Nurse Frog (Wood, 1863, Illust. Nat. Hist., 3: 162).

Midwife Toad (Cochran, 1961, Living Amph. World: 55; Arnold and Burton, 1978, Field Guide Rept. Amph. Brit. Eur.: 63; Ananjeva, Borkin, Darevsky, and Orlov, 1988, Dict. Amph. Rept. Five Languages: 50; Stumpel-Rienks, 1992, Ergänzungsband Handbuch Rept. Amph. Eur., Trivialnamen der Herpetofauna Eur.: 43).

Olive Midwife Toad (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 51).

Bell Toad (Hellmich, 1962, Rept. Amph. Eur.: 61).

Distribution

Western Europe from northern Portugal and northern Spain throughout France and through southern Belgium and extreme southern Netherlands to central and southwestern Germany and northern and western Switzerland; introduced into northern and southern England and onto Menorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain.

Comment

See Arntzen and García-París, 1995, Bijdr. Dierkd., 65: 5-34, for discussion of subspecies. Grossenbacher, 1997, in Gasc et al. (eds.), Atlas Amph. Rept. Eur.: 94-95, discussed relevant literature and distribution. Barbadillo-Escrivá, 1987, Guia INCAFO Anf. Rept. Peninsula Iberica: 131-135, provided an account for the Iberian populations. Nöllert and Nöllert, 1992, Die Amph. Eur.: 249-253, provided a brief account and polygon map. García-París and Martínez-Solano, 2001, Rev. Esp. Herpetol., 15: 99-113, discussed geographic variation in Spain and named a new subspecies. Arnold, 2002, Rept. Amph. Eur., Ed. 2: 64-66, provided a brief account, figure, and map. Márquez and Rosa, 1997, in Pleguezuelos (ed.), Dist. Biogeogr. Anf. Rep. Esp. Portugal: 131-133, provided a brief account, photograph, and detailed map for Iberia. Martínez-Solano, Gonçalves, Arntzen, and García-París, 2004, J. Biogeograph., 31: 610, noted that Alytes obstetricans almogavarii appears to have been distinct for a long period but through gene flow progressively losing this distinction from the other named races of Alytes obstetricans. Llorente, Montori, Santos, and Carretero, 1995, Atlas Amf. Rept. Catalunya Andorra: 58-60, provided an account and detailed range map for Catalunya and Andorra. Lever, 2003, Naturalized Rept. Amph. World: 139-140, reported on a persistant introduced populations near York, England. Van den Broek and Frissen, 2009, in Creemers and van Delft (eds.), Amph. Rept. Nederland: 132-141, provided a detailed account of the species in the Netherlands. Rivera, Escoriza, Maluquer-Margalef, Arribas, and Carranza, 2011, Amf. Rept. Catalunya: 56-59, provided a brief account for northeastern Spain, Andorra, and adjacent France. Pinya and Carretero, 2011, Acta Herpetol., Firenze, 6: 59-80, discussed the population in the Balearic Islands. Speybroeck, Beukema, Bok, and Van Der Voort, 2016, Field Guide Amph. Rept. Brit. Eur.: 118–119, provided a brief account and distribution map. Allain and Goodman, 2018, Herpetol. Notes, 11: 451–454, reported on the absence of chytrid fungus in an introduced population in Cambridge, England (UK). 

External links:

Please note: these links will take you to external websites not affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History. We are not responsible for their content.