Contribution to the knowledge of Tunisian amphibians: notes on distribution, habitat features and breeding phenology

In order to improve the knowledge on amphibian fauna in Tunisia, about 300 water bodies belonging to different habitat typologies were sampled during the period 2004-2008. At the sites where amphibians were observed, we recorded the UTM coordinates, the altitude, and the following environmental features: habitat typology, hydroperiod, electric conductivity, temperature, water turbidity, and macrophyte coverage. The presence of the seven species currently known with certainty for Tunisia has been confirmed: Pleurodeles nebulosus, Discoglossus pictus, Bufo bufo, B. mauritanicus, B. boulengeri, Hyla meridionalis and Pelophylax saharicus. Conversely, no evidence on the occurrence of Salamandra algira in Tunisia, currently considered as doubtful, was collected. Furthermore, all the information available in the literature has been summarized and original data on distribution ranges, breeding phenology and habitat features of the observed species are reported; in particular, the first data on the ecology of the poorly known Pleurodeles nebulosus are provided. Present work represents a contribution towards the realization of an extensive atlas of Tunisian amphibian fauna to be used as a management tool for the conservation of Tunisian inland waters and their biota.