Taxonomic composition and ploidy level among European water frogs (Anura: Ranidae:Pelophylax) in eastern Hungary

Research in Hortobágy National Park reveals that European water frogs (Pelophylax) exhibit complex taxonomic and genetic diversity, with all three members of the Pelophylax esculentus complex—Pelophylax ridibundus, Pelophylax lessonae, and their hybrid, Pelophylax esculentus—coexisting in certain wetlands. Notably, hybrid frogs produce diploid offspring, suggesting a breeding system where hybrids transmit the P. ridibundus genome clonally to mate with P. lessonae, thereby generating new hybrid generations. The study used serum albumin intron 1 (SAI-1) and microsatellite markers to analyze 63 specimens, uncovering syntopic occurrences of these taxa in some localities while others hosted only P. ridibundus and P. esculentus. Population genetic analyses further supported the hybrid's role in maintaining genomic diversity within these ecosystems.

Herczeg, D., Vörös, J., Christiansen, D. G., Benovics, M., & Mikulíček, P. (2016). Taxonomic composition and ploidy level among European water frogs (Anura: Ranidae:Pelophylax) in eastern Hungary. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 55(2), 129–137. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzs.12158