Whilst birdwatching Salal Al Dahna
valley, at 1900 metres in the Asir mountains of southwest Saudi Arabia I found
a large pool of water with several Arabian Skittering Frogs. The frogs were
adults rather than the small young individuals I have seen previously. This is
only the third time I have seen this frog in Saudi Arabia. The Arabian
Skittering Frog or Arabian Five-fingered Frog Euphlyctis ehrenbergii a species of frog in the Dicroglossidae family found in Saudi
Arabia and Yemen. It has previously been treated as a subspecies of the
Skittering Frog Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis,
but is now considered as a valid species. The frog is restricted to areas of permanent
and temporary water in the Red Sea coastal region of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. An
aquatic species, it can also be present in irrigated area where it is extremely
common or abundant. It has an altitudinal range from sea level to 2,400 metres
above sea level and lays its eggs in water. The species may aestivate during
the dry season, meaning it spends the hot or dry period in a prolonged state of
torpor or dormancy.
