For citation:
Lada G. A., Goncharov A. G., Gordeev D. A. Species composition and population systems of green frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) (Ranidae, Amphibia) in the Khoper River valley. Current Studies in Herpetology, 2026, vol. 26, iss. 1, pp. 59-64. DOI: 10.18500/1814-6090-2026-26-1-2-59-64, EDN: TMUMVC
Species composition and population systems of green frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) (Ranidae, Amphibia) in the Khoper River valley
Three species of green frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) have been identified in the Khoper River Valley. The marsh frog P. ridibundus is the most widespread and found in all the studied localities. The pond frog P. lessonae and edible frog P. esculentus have been recorded only in the floodplain of the Khoper River in the Khoper State Nature Reserve (Novokhopersk district of the Voronezh region) and in the extreme northwest of the Volgograd Region. Green frogs in the Khoper River valley form two types of population systems. “Pure” populations of P. ridibundus (R-type) are the most characteristic. In the middle reaches, in the floodplain reservoirs of the Khoper State Nature Reserve and in the extreme northwest of Volgograd region, population systems of the REL-type, including all three species, are noted. In general, P. ridibundus significantly prevails in the Khoper River valley. However, in the population systems of the REL-type the numbers of three species of green frogs is commensurate with each other.
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