Three Amigos

[Vlad Cioflec]

Can you help me put a name to all the amphibians in this picture please?! Besides the Pelophylax ridibundus, i kinda see a tiny dalmatina, but for the tadpole your guess is as good as mine.

They were found in an abandoned factory in southern Dobroudja, Romania this Saturday during the heatwave. That being said, excuse the quality of the rest of the pics, as i preferred to stay and enjoy the thrills of off road driving and birdwatch from the car, rather than chasing herps on foot in the scorching midday sun.

Habitat

My ride. No, not the horse! :)

?

Plegadis falcinellus

Emberiza melanocephala, my second sighting and the first found by myself

Target species for my friend, Cecropis daurica

Bufo viridis

Skittish Green Lizard

Podarcis muralis AKA my favourite lizard and the first of this year

Now how about that tadpole; viridis, ridibundus or what?!
Thanks for reading!

[Niklas Ban]

In my city there is a bar called "tres amigos" and after the first time I read the theme I was wondering if you were in Düsseldorf. I like the plegadis very much!

[Vlad Cioflec]

Well Niklas, i`m glad you found some of the feathered reptiles interesting, but can you spare a thought on that tadpole?
The only species occouring around that particular reserve are Bombina bombina, Hyla arborea, Bufo viridis, Rana dalmatina, Pelobates fuscus, Pelobates syriacus and Pelophylax ridibundus

[Ilian Velikov]

I would say Pelohylax/Rana species for the tadpole. Here's a website with key to determining tadpoles that might help > http://www.whose-tadpole.net/

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Probably dalmatina, given the time of year, size of the tadpole and its shape and colour.

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

You can also get to that conclusion in part by eliminating the other options, as this is imho surely not Bombina, Hyla or Pelobates. Maybe Bufo, but shape seems wrong. BTW, is this the only place in Romania without Bufo bufo?

[Vlad Cioflec]

Many thanks for your answers.
No Bufo bufo in my secret herping spot from southern Dobroudja:

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Nice map, Vlad. What's the source? However, I would guess it shows huge sampling bias...

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Even in this poorly sampled map, there's a dot near your spot.
http://en.balcanica.info/36-7

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

And no apparent absence on the other side of the border either.
http://www.oocities.org/herpetology_bg/ ... b_bufo.htm