Distribution of the Mallorcan midwife toad (Alytes muletensis) in relation to landscape topography and introduced predators

The endemic midwife toad of Mallorca (Alytes muletensis) is restricted to a small number of breeding populations in the mountainous northwest of the island. The decline of the species has been attributed to the impacts of introduced species such as the viperine snake (Natrix maura) and green frog (Rana perezi), and toads may be surviving only in areas that are suboptimal for these predators. The influence of landscape features (elevation, aspect and maximum slope) on the distribution of toads and associated predators was therefore investigated using GIS. The presence of toads was positively associated with steep slopes. At sites where they occurred with toads, the distribution of predators was negatively associated with elevation. Reproductive success within toad populations was strongly associated with the number of pools at each site, while reproductive success within individual pools was positively associated with elevation. These findings may be used to optimise the design and location of future reintroduction sites. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.