| Carpenter frog | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Lithobates |
| Species: | L. virgatipes |
| Binomial name | |
| Lithobates virgatipes (Cope, 1891) | |
| Synonyms | |
Rana virgatipesCope, 1891 | |
The carpenter frog (Lithobates virgatipes) is a species of true frog found on coastal plain of the Atlantic coast of the United States between central New Jersey and northeastern Florida. [2]
Carpenter frogs are distinguished by their all brown color with two yellow stripes on each side of the back. Their tail is gray in color and their underside is normally white or yellow. Unlike other frogs the webbing on their toes does not reach the longest toe. Carpenter frogs are recognized by their call which resembles a carpenter hammering, which gives them their name. They have ectothermic, heterothermic and bilateral symmetry. The frog's throat pouch is spherical shaped when inflated. Full grown frogs are medium-sized 4.1-6.6 centimeters. [3]
The carpenter frog is found in the Atlantic coastal plains in the United States. [4] From the pine barrens of New Jersey to the bottom of Georgia, the carpenter frog makes its home. The frog is also found, but not common, in Florida. [5] They are usually found in water and rarely on land. [6] The carpenter frog adapted to be able to live in acidic waters. The frog has been observed in cypress ponds, interdunal swales, tupelo swamps, acid swamps, canals, and is associated with sphagnum mats and other vegetation in coffee-colored waters of pine savanna bogs or ponds. [7] They most commonly are found in relatively acidic water abundant Sphagnum or other vegetation leading to being sometimes referred to "sphagnum frogs." [8] They depend on aquatic vegetation in shallow waters for protection and breeding. [4] It is said that carpenter frogs are found in waterways that are tea or coffee colored, where they can easily be camouflaged. [4]
Carpenter frogs are prolonged breeders with a breeding season between 2–3 months. The breeding season typically occurs with onset of warm weather in late April and continues until late July or early August. [9] Males maintain territories with a median radius of 1 meter and produce mating calls on most nights of the breeding season. [10] [11] Intensity of the calls varies according to body size, with smaller males having high pitched calls of lower intensity relative to larger males. Calling activity occurs between sunset and sunrise but peaks near midnight. [9] After mating, females lay globular egg masses of 200-600 eggs attached to underwater vegetation up to 8 inches deep. [12]
Tadpoles hatch from eggs approximately one week after laying, and remain in this state for approximately 1 year. Between August and September, tadpoles will metamorphose into juvenile frogs. [4]
Carpenter frogs eat a majority of aquatic insects and invertebrates such as small crickets, bug larva, and spiders. [13]
One of the main reasons that the carpenter frog has become of special concern is due to its susceptibility to habitat loss and degradation. [14] In the 1990s the carpenter frog population in Talbot County was found to be severely decreased as a possible result of habitat degradation. (Given, 1999; White and White, 2002) In South Georgia the Carpenter Frog is considered a common species although it has a limited range. Considering that the Carpenter Frog requires wetland areas with large amounts of submerged vegetation for breeding, human disturbances, such as ditching and urbanization, to such environments have and will continue to impact the species. ("Conservation Plans for Biotic Regions in Florida Containing Multiple Rare or Declining Wildlife Taxa", 2003) [4]
Because it is known to thrive in acidic waters, throughout time the neutralization of water, specifically in the Delmarva region, has had a great impact on its decline in population because they are unable to adapt. As wetlands become less acidic, it becomes a new habitat for a larger variety of frogs and other species that can thrive in these conditions. It is suggested that predation also plays a role in the decline of their population. These larger frogs include more aggressive species such as northern green frogs which can potentially be a great threat to the carpenter frog. The presence of American Bullfrogs ( Lithobates catesbeianus ) and Pig Frogs ( Lithobates grylio ) have also negatively affected the species. Apart from other frogs becoming a threat to the carpenter frog, some research suggests that water snakes ( Nerodia ) also prey on the carpenter frog. [4]
The American bullfrog, often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, ponds, and lakes. Bullfrogs can also be found in manmade habitats such as pools, koi ponds, canals, ditches and culverts. The bullfrog gets its name from the sound the male makes during the breeding season, which sounds similar to a bull bellowing. The bullfrog is large and is commonly eaten throughout its range, especially in the southern United States where they are plentiful.
Lithobates pipiens formerly Rana pipiens, commonly known as the northern leopard frog, is a species of leopard frog from the true frog family, native to parts of Canada and the United States. It is the state amphibian of Minnesota and Vermont.
Lithobates sylvaticus or Rana sylvatica, commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several notable disjunct populations including lowland eastern North Carolina. The wood frog has garnered attention from biologists because of its freeze tolerance, relatively great degree of terrestrialism, interesting habitat associations, and relatively long-range movements.
The pickerel frog is a small North American frog, characterized by the appearance of seemingly "hand-drawn" squares on its dorsal surface. Pickerel frogs are the only poisonous frog native to the United States.
The Florida bog frog is a rare species of frog found only in western Florida.
The Pine Barrens tree frog is a species of New World tree frog. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.
Lithobates sphenocephalus or Rana sphenocephala, commonly known as the southern leopard frog, is a medium-sized anuran in the family Ranidae. It is native to eastern North America from Kansas to New York to Florida. It is also an introduced species in some areas. This species lives in cool, clear water in the north, whereas in the south it occurs in warmer turbid and murky waters of coastal and floodplain swamps, twilight zones of caves, and abandoned mines.
The pig frog is a species of aquatic frog found in the Southeastern United States, from South Carolina to Texas. Some sources also refer to it as the lagoon frog or the southern bullfrog.
The crawfish frog is a medium-sized species of frog native to the prairies and grasslands of the central United States. It gets its name because it inhabits the burrows of crayfish for most of the year. They have defined golden or black circles all over their body.
The northern red-legged frog is a species of amphibian whose range is the coastal region stretching from southwest British Columbia to southern Mendocino County in Northern California, and is protected in Oregon and California. As a member of the genus Rana, this species is considered a true frog, with characteristic smooth skin and a narrow waist. This frog requires still waters for breeding, and is rarely found at any great distance from its breeding ponds or marshes.
Lithobates is a genus of true frogs, of the family Ranidae. The name is derived from litho- (stone) and the Greek bates, meaning one that treads on rock, or rock climber.
The Oregon spotted frog is a member of the frog family Ranidae of order Anura. It is a medium-sized aquatic frog endemic to the Pacific Northwest and historically well distributed in the Puget Trough/Willamette Valley province and the Cascade Mountains of south-central Washington and Oregon. It is relatively rare within its range and is listed globally as vulnerable.
The green-eyed treefrog is a species of Australasian treefrog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae that occurs in the Wet Tropics of Australia.
The gopher frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, endemic to the south-eastern United States. It primarily inhabits the threatened sandhill communities, flatwoods, and scrub in the Atlantic coastal plain, where it is usually found near ponds.
The river frog is a species of aquatic frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States. Its natural habitats are temperate rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Mississippi gopher frog, also known commonly as the dark gopher frog, the dusky gopher frog, and the St. Tammany gopher frog, is a critically endangered species of frog in the family Ranidae. The species is endemic to the southern United States. Its natural habitats are temperate coastal forests and intermittent freshwater marshes. This secretive frog is on average 3 in (8 cm) long, with a dark brown or black dorsal surface covered in warts. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Lithobates vibicarius, commonly known as either green-eyed frog or Rancho Redondo frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae from highland rainforests in Costa Rica and western Panama.
Lithobates clamitans or Rana clamitans, commonly known as the green frog, is a species of frog native to eastern North America. The two subspecies are the bronze frog and the northern green frog.
The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog or Sierra Nevada Mountain yellow-legged frog is a true frog endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada in the United States. It was formerly considered Rana muscosa until a 2007 study elevated the more central and northern populations to full species status, restricting R. muscosa to the southern Sierra Nevada and southern California.
The bronze frog is a subspecies of Lithobates clamitans found in the southeastern region of North America.
