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Seoul frog
Encyclopedia
The Seoul Frog is a species of true frog
found on the western Korean Peninsula
, and possibly in Liaoning
. It is closely related to the Eastern Golden Frog
, P. plancyi, and was long considered a subspecies thereof. Also known as Gold-spotted Pond Frog, it is in fact not a true pond frog of genus
Rana, but belongs to the water frogs now again separated in Pelophylax.
Adult Seoul Frogs are roughly 6 centimeters in length. The back is bright green and bumpy, with patches of light brown; the belly is yellowish-red. The iris of the eye is golden. The body as a whole is round as if swollen.
The Seoul Frog is found in ponds and rice paddies, but has been declining sharply, probably due to habitat degradation. According to Matsui (2004), recent surveys have located populations in only four locations. The mating season is from mid-May to June.
True frog
The true frogs, family Ranidae, have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on most continents except Antarctica...
found on the western Korean Peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
, and possibly in Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
. It is closely related to the Eastern Golden Frog
Eastern golden frog
The Eastern golden frog, Pelophylax plancyi, is a species of true frog found in northeastern China. It is closely related to the Seoul frog, Pelophylax chosenicus; P. fukienensis was initially believed to be a subspecies of P. plancyi...
, P. plancyi, and was long considered a subspecies thereof. Also known as Gold-spotted Pond Frog, it is in fact not a true pond frog of genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Rana, but belongs to the water frogs now again separated in Pelophylax.
Adult Seoul Frogs are roughly 6 centimeters in length. The back is bright green and bumpy, with patches of light brown; the belly is yellowish-red. The iris of the eye is golden. The body as a whole is round as if swollen.
The Seoul Frog is found in ponds and rice paddies, but has been declining sharply, probably due to habitat degradation. According to Matsui (2004), recent surveys have located populations in only four locations. The mating season is from mid-May to June.