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Yesterday I was in a longer tour following the Olt corner and the adjacent roads and localities in the neighbor areas. A little rain,  a cloudy sky and many amphibians: a great day.

My first goal was to reach some ponds in the Pădurea Bogăţii Protected Area. But before this ponds I localized some temporary pools were the water was disturbed by couple Common Frog (Rana temporaria). A male was captured to couple photos. These blue neck is an interesting feature. Comparative see the female frog to and the Agile Frog (Rana dalmatina) too. And of course the spawn is present also.

At the well preserved ponds, I found some frogs (Common and Agile Frogs) in they way to the breeding sites. Like was the case in this female Common Frog.

In Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) in Romania besides the nominat subspecies (L. v. vulgaris) another endemic subspecies, the Romanian Smooth Newt (L. v. ampelensis) is described. The endemic subspecies is differentiated by well expressed edges, with crest beginning at the occipital zone with maximum height above cloaca, with straight or just easily waved edge. Inferior edge of the caudal crest is straight, untoothed and is ending in sharp, pointed caudal filament. The Smoth Newts from this ponds are closer to these endemic form than to the nominat.

The morph with so many little dots are unusual for my eyes. I never see this morph, or I don't remember...

And of course the Agile Frog is another inhabitant of these breeding colony.

These are another faces of the breeding sites...

In this moment the situation was the next: the Common Toad has its breeding apogee (sounds, agglomeration), the Agile Frog also has a lot of spawn deposite, but I don't saw a vigorous activity, the Common Toad (Bufo bufo) has arrived, I saw mainly males. Their breeding is started later. The Smooth Newts are in ponds, but I don't see any female. But I observed a nuptial dance in case of one male, but the partner remain unidentified. 

I identified the Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) under a log near to the pond, still in the terrestrial clothes. The specimen was a female.

These will be the terrestrial habitat for the amphibians after the breeding season.

Near to international road couple temporary puddles are situated in the middle of an overgrazed pasture. Several spawn of Agile Frog and some nuptial activities were observed.

In Bogata locality a water filled garden, probably perfect for amphibians, was spotted with bovine excrements for fertilization of the ground.

Later, near to road I found couple natural and artificial temporary puddles used by Agile Frog.

A deeper and probably permanent puddle was inhabited by two big Lake Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus).

There after a road conditioning two habitat types are present: the new artificial one (a ditch) and the older natural one. A lucky situation.

Close to Dopca locality a water-filled meadow was the breeding site for the Common Toad. A great number of spawns could be counted here.

Between Dopca and Măieruş localities exist an reach amphibian breeding site. In this moment the water is restricted to couple deeper depressions due to the drought. Beside the omnipresent Agile Frog spawns, several male Great Crested Newts are ready to the breeding period.

Another trip to the Pădurea Bogăţii Nature Reserve was performed couple days before. The Common Toads (Bufo bufo) could be found in different posture: in pair in water, single in ponds or in the stream or single and terrestrial. No spawns were observed.

A short video with the Romanian Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris ampelensis) is uploaded here. Probably the first video with this subspecies on internet.

This period here is the hottest period in the reproduction activities in Common Frog (Rana temporaria). Pairs could be found even out a water. The reproduction activities are restricted to different small areas in the ponds. Here the males appear in greater number than females. Probably their pale blue necks raised over the water level have a reproductive signal. 

The older spawns are lighter, the newest are darker, and the egg is not so dilated.

A young Lake Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) was found basking. The metatarsal tubercle has a transitional form to the klepton form, P. kl. esculentus.

The reproduction time of Agile Frog (Rana dalmatina) is almost down. Male songs are rare, and exemplars out of water could be found near to the ponds. The camouflage color of this species work well.

Another pond with a reproductive Common Frog nucleus was found forward on the valley. Usually the frogs use the areas covered with reed.

Another picture with the terrestrial habitats of amphibians.

A shorter trip in the Olt corner revealed another pair between the Common Toad (male) and the Lake Frog (female). The male showed a strong amplex behavior. 

Another male with visual problems.

A dead Lake Frog specimen was found with this leech in the mouth probably which moved in the body cavity of the frog. If this leech is the cause of frog dead or the frog was already dead, is questioned. The leech species was identified as Haemopis sanguisuga.

The Agile Frogs are the most frequent killed frogs on the roads. On the way to home I heard an European Tree Frog (Hyla arborea) male singing.

OTHER TRIPS

Another longer trip was performed in the north-west of Perşani Mountains area. My friend, Snake, (Kigyó, Şarpe) was my colleague on this trip. At the first stop at the middle distance between Măieruş and Apaţa, near to couple huge fishponds, a male Common Toad (Bufo bufo) was found but in a little stream. In one of the fishponds a dead Lake Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) was seen.

Near to the fishponds, in different puddles, spawns belonging to Agile Frog (Rana dalmatina) and Common Frog (R. temporaria) were identified. But not in great number as I expected.

Near Apaţa locality a puddle with Agile Frog spawns was identified. A female Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) was the result of netting.

In Pădurea Bogăţii a puddle with tens of Smooth Newts (Lissotriton vulgaris) and Alpine Newt (Mesotriton/Ichtyosaura alpestris) was found. The Agile and Common Frogs nuptial songs proved the presence of these species also. In the Braşov county this location is the most northern one as I know. Here could be see the map of distribution of Alpine Newt in the county. The black points are the data of Amphibian and Reptile Protection WorkGroup from Milvus. The circles are data from literature.

To which major clade belong the Alpine Newt specimens (male, female)? See in What's new in romanian herps?

Differences between sexes in Alpine Newts (first picture: male, second picture: female).

And the differences in belly coloration between male (first picture) and females (the last two pictures) Smooth Newts (Lissotriton vulgaris) from the same puddle as Alpine Newts. They are a transitional form between the nominat form and the romanian Smooth Newt subspecies (L. v. ampelensis)? A short video with a Smooth Newt pair is uploaded here!

OTHER TRIPS

With pleasure can I say, the world is ready to be flooded! It was a rainy day, not so cold, just perfect for a trip. Now it's easy to explain why not all temporary pools are used by amphibians! The water courses from different geological areas have different colors.

The differences between a temporary puddle (in front with Common Frog, Rana temporaria and Agile Frog, R. dalmatina spawns still unhatched) and the stream.

The target fishponds are inundated with messy water from the adjacent stream. Although the newts are in full nuptial activities. Even the partly dirty water is perfect for them.  

In one of the fishponds a localized place with 7 female and 2 male Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) were used for reproduction together with several Smooth Newts (Lissotriton vulgaris ampelensis).

A terrestrial form of the Great Crested Newt (adult female) were found in a hole. So, not all the animals are in water?

A Romanian Smooth Newt male eating its frayed skin.

 
The female Romanian Smooth Newt is characterized with little spots on its belly or with the lack of them (mainly on her throats).

The Alpine Newt (Messotriton alpestris) an adult female) was identified in this site too [the north-western red point]. The other site [the second point and the picture below] is still filled with tens of newts.

The Common Toad (Bufo bufo) finished its reproduction period. Its two lined eggs are mostly hatched. 2 specimens were found dead (one carcass with active Red-breasted Carrion Beetles, Oicoeptoma thoracicum). No sign of adult frogs in water [picture missing].

A male European Tree Frog (Hyla arborea) were found near to the pond in the grass. 

The Common Frog and the Agile Frog left the water. Its tadpoles mostly hatched.

A juvenile Edible Frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus) was found in the water. A new presence here for me.

A perfect habitat for the Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra). No animal was seen. 

OTHER TRIPS

Thus another trip to the same location. A partially clouded day with warm periods and no so warm periods but which was ending in a local minor storm.

The newts (Triturus cristatus and Lissotrtiton vulgaris ampelensis) are still in water, although some exemplars started their terrestrial activities. 

I observed that problematic (injured, illness,...) specimens from the group of frogs with mostly terrestrial life style (e.g. Rana dalmatina) remain near to the water...

A wet zone near to the area is inhabited by Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata) but at the same time by specimens with mixed characters, which are characteristic for the Red-bellied Toad (B. bombina).

A male Yellow-bellied Toad with an missing leg was found. The nuptial pads are well developed on this half leg too!

A male Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) with characteristic pattern and color (for this zone, of course).

A female Sand Lizard which misses its light vertebral line, which is a characteristic for this subspecies as the eastern form of Sand Lizard living in Romania, L. a. chersonensis in general lack this vertebral line.   

Another characteristic for differentiating the two subspecies is: 1. the presence of maseteric and timpanic scale on head in L. a. agilis (which are missing in the L. a. chersonensis) 2. L. a. agilis: two postnasals and a frenal arrange in a triangle. L. a. chersonensis: one postnasal and one frenal - as in left side of the photographied female!

It was the day of Grass Snakes (Natrix natrix), lot of them near to the ponds and in the neighboring areas (more than 30). A pair was observed in nuptial activity as a little male gently force a mostly  3x bigger female for copulate with him.

A female Grass Snake with orange collar was found...

OTHER TRIPS