Color polymorphism study on marsh frog populations (Pelophylax ridibundus) in the northern and the southern habitats of Khuzestan province

One of the main goals of evolutionary biology is to describe morphological diversity in the populations. It is necessary to examine the causes of such varieties in order to explain the process of evolution and change. Color patterns are considered to be the proper characteristics to identify subspecies and since various morphs of marsh frog can be seen in nature, the study of polymorphism color of this species in habitats of the northern and southern Khuzestan province was carried out due to geographical separation and microclimatological difference. In so doing, the samples were collected from the above-mentioned habitats during spring and autumn 1395-96. They were then studied in order to identify their morphological types. According to the results, 7 types of morph were identified in this species. Then the amount of different morphologies, the relationship between polymorphism and gender were examined. According to the results, morph 7 had the highest frequency among others. In addition, polymorphic traits and gender traits of marsh frog was reported independently. The highest and lowest morphological variation was determined based on the season