Favourite Amphibians

Well here is another of my favourites lists and this time around it is the world of amphibians and if I am totally honest the one area that has always been closest to my heart.

So including a few surprises I will start with here it comes...

Natterjack Toad, Bufo calamita, and not only native to my country but the only native species in my list?!

Italian Alpine Newt, Messotriton (Triturus) alpestris apuanus with brilliant blues much smaller and smoother than the other Alpine Newts and hugely aquatic to boot. Had the deepest oranges on the belly colouration and the silver dotted black of the flanks appears on the throat too!

Italian Yellow Bellied Toad, Bombina (variegata) pachypus and these three are th holy trinity for me but to call this animal a yellow bellied toad is a little off as it is more tangerine in colir with flashes of two shades of blue and blue-grey. At least the ones I found were at any rate.

Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, Agalychnis callidryas of South America and well known thorught the world thanks to David Attenborough!

Reinwart's Flying Frog, Rhacophorus reinwadrtii, of Asia and a stunning animal f you get the right form and though despite ones very similar recently appearing and being bred they are not a patch on the others with flashes of electric blue throughout oranges on flanks while the frog is a terrific lichen green in colour!

Fire Salamanders and of particular interest to me are the Salamandra salamandra gallaica, morenica, algira (very red ones), gigliolii and added to these are the Alpine Salamander types Salamandra atra aurorae and Middle East (typical) type Salamandra infraimmaculata infraimmaculata and orientalis.

Banded Newt, Triturus vittatus.

Euproctus or Brook Salmanders

Green Salamander, Aneides aeneus

Painted Ensatinas, like Ensatina escholtzii

Plethodon jordani

Red Salamanders. Pseudotriton rubra

Green Toads, Bufo viridis

err Green Toads, Bufo debilis and

Green (OK SONORAN) Toads, Bufo retiformis

Harlequin Frogs and all inparticular Atelopus zeteki and varius

Golden Toads, Bufo periglenes, provided not extinct as quoted in 1ate 80's early 90's.

Helmeted Water Toad or Chilean Bullfrog, Caudiverbera caudiverbera

The South American Horned Frogs like Ceratophrys ornata, cranwelli, cornuta and the like

The Asian Horned Frogs, or more correctly Leaf Frogs, of the Megophrys complex, like nasuta, robusta and aceras.

The diminutive African Reed Frogs and in particular Hyperolius marmoratus and taeniatus

Right going to stop there and no doubt there are a fair number of ommissions but at least I remembered the usual suspects ... as with Reptiles, additions will emerge below this sentence.