Overview
The Hula Painted Frog (Latonia nigriventer) is hailed as one of the most famous ‘Lazarus species’ in modern zoology. Officially declared extinct in 1996 following the massive mid-20th-century drainage of Lake Hula and its surrounding marshes, this remarkable amphibian shocked the scientific community when a living specimen was rediscovered in 2011. Subsequent genetic analysis revealed an even greater marvel: the frog is the sole surviving living member of the genus Latonia, an ancient lineage of prehistoric giant frogs previously known only from European fossil deposits dating back several million years.
Biology and Physical Characteristics
Latonia nigriventer is a stout, heavy-bodied anuran characterized by a distinctly flattened skull, large protruding eyes, and a broad, rounded snout. Its dorsal surface ranges from ochre-brown to dark sepia, densely covered in small reddish-rust glandular warts and dark brown spots. Its specific epithet, ‘nigriventer’ (black belly), refers to its striking ventral coloration: a pitch-black abdomen and throat vividly peppered with brilliant, irregular white specks. Its hind feet feature strong, broad webbing suited for powerful aquatic propulsion through submerged vegetation.
Behavior and Ecology
Exceedingly secretive and largely nocturnal, the Hula Painted Frog spends the day concealed beneath deep, waterlogged peat mats or wedged among thick tangled roots of papyrus and common reeds. At dusk, it emerges into shallow canal edges to stalk aquatic prey, snatching diving beetles, dragonfly nymphs, and freshwater snails with its fleshy, round tongue. During breeding periods, males produce deep, low-frequency acoustic calls underwater to attract females, laying clutches of pigmented eggs in sheltered underwater vegetation.
Conservation and Human Impact
Assessed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Hula Painted Frog survives within a geographic footprint of less than two square kilometers in northern Israel. The near-total drainage of the historic Hula Marshes in the 1950s decimated its historical habitat. Today, dedicated wetland re-flooding programs led by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Hula Nature Reserve have re-established vital sanctuary marshlands, where intensive hydrological monitoring and invasive fish removal safeguard the species from complete extinction.
Interesting Factoid
The Hula Painted Frog is considered a true ‘living fossil’: before its rediscovery in 2011, paleontologists believed its entire genus (Latonia) had vanished from the planet during the Pleistocene epoch over one million years ago.
Last updated: October 2026