Amphibians · Anura · Hylidae

Stripeless Treefrog

Hyla meridionalis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Unlike its close relative the European tree frog, it lacks the dark side stripe running to the nostrils. It can shift in tone between bright green, bluish and yellowish.

Size

3 cm – 6.5 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestFreshwaterInsectivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Temperate forest Freshwater

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Fun facts

It can shift in tone between bright green, bluish and yellowish with temperature and humidity.
It differs from its close relative in lacking a dark stripe running to the nostrils.
Among the small arthropods it hunts, it favours moths and mosquito larvae.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Damp, well-vegetated ground near water in south-western Europe and north-western Africa
Birth weight: Eggs laid in small clumps beside the water
Size at birth: A small larva after hatching, completing metamorphosis in some 3 months
Sexual maturity: Not precisely known (for the sister species Hyla arborea, breeding typically starts in the second or third year)
Gestation / incubation: 15 days of larval development after hatching
Litter / clutch size: Several hundred eggs per clutch (800-1,000 according to one source)
Lifespan in captivity: A documented record of up to 22 years in captivity for the sister species Hyla arborea

Sources consulted: iNaturalist; Picture Nature; Animalia.bio; Wikipedia (Mediterranean tree frog); Diputación de Málaga; Infoanimales.net; genomics.senescence.info (Hyla arborea comparativo)