Hula Painted Frog
CR

Hula Painted Frog

Latonia nigriventer

Declining

Photo: Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Overview

The Hula painted frog is a species of frog endemic to the Lake Hula marshes in northern Israel. It is the only living member of the genus Latonia, which is otherwise known from fossils from Europe spanning from the Oligocene to the Pleistocene. The Hula painted frog was thought to be extinct as a result of habitat destruction during the 1950s until the species was rediscovered in 2011.

Latonia nigriventer faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and urban development across its limited range in the eastern Mediterranean. Water pollution from agricultural runoff and industrial activities degrades the aquatic breeding sites essential for this critically endangered frog. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns and increased temperatures that affect the species' specialized habitat requirements.

Threat summary

Habitat

Latonia nigriventer inhabits temporary pools, ponds, and slow-moving streams in Mediterranean scrubland and agricultural areas. The species requires clean, shallow water bodies for breeding and adjacent terrestrial habitats with adequate vegetation cover for foraging and shelter.

Artificial - Terrestrial· majorArtificial - Aquatic & marine· majorWetlands (inland) - Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens· majorWetlands (inland) - Permanent freshwater lakes· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionHabitat & natural process restorationSpecies recoveryEx-situ conservationLegislation

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Hula Painted Frog classified as Critically Endangered?
Hula Painted Frog is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Latonia nigriventer faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and urban development across its limited range in the eastern Mediterranean. Water pollution from agricultural runoff and industrial activities degrades the aquatic breeding sites essential for this critically endangered frog. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns and increased temperatures that affect the species' specialized habitat requirements.
Where does Hula Painted Frog live?
Hula Painted Frog occurs in Israel. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Hula Painted Frog?
The main threats to Hula Painted Frog are 2.1, 7.3, 8.1, and 9.3. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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