The Painted Frog (Discoglossus pictus), is a species of frog in the Discoglossidae family.
As the common name implies, these frogs can have colorful markings. There are three pattern variations in this species: almost uniformly colored animals; animals with large dark spots with bright edges and animals with two dark brown longitudinal bands, one bright band along the back and two bright bands along the sides.
The belly is whitish. The body is stout with a flat head that is wider than it is long. The dorsal glands are arranged in longitudinal patterns along the back, or can be absent. The pupil is shaped like an upside-down droplet. In the Moroccan subspecies, sexual maturity is attained in one year.
Mating in North Morocco takes place from January to early November. Copulation, in which the male clasps the female in the lumbar region lasts about 2 hr. Copulation in the Spanish specimens lasts only 35 s to 2 min. Females lay a total of 500 to 1000 eggs in one night of copulation. The females copulate with various males and each copulation a small clump of about 20 to 50 eggs are laid.
The ovum diameter is usually 1-1.5mm; the gelatinous envelope 3-7mm. The eggs have no common envelope and form a loose mass on the water surface or may sink to the bottom. Eggs usually hatch in 2-6 days. Upon hatching, tadpoles are about 3mm in length. In 1-3 months, they grow to about 33mm and metamorphose into froglets of 10mm. In Sicily, many populations are associated with man-made water bodies such as stone-sided cisterns, irrigation pipes and canals in cultivated areas. They appear to be endangered by the decline of traditional methods of agriculture.
However, populations that live along rivers, seasonal ponds and swamps seem to be less endangered.
It has been introduced to parts of the UK.