Leptodactylus fragilis

This article is about American frog sometimes known as the white-lipped frog. For other uses, see White-lipped frog (disambiguation).

Leptodactylus fragilis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Leptodactylidae
Genus:	Leptodactylus
Species:	L. fragilis
Binomial name
Leptodactylus fragilis (Brocchi, 1877)
Synonyms
Cystignathus fragilisBrocchi, 1877 [2] Leptodactylus labialisCope, 1878

White-lipped Frog (Leptodactylus fragilis) Municipality of Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico (12 August 2003).

Leptodactylus fragilis, known under many common names such as the Mexican white-lipped frog, American white-lipped frog or simply white-lipped frog, is a species of leptodactylid frog. Its distribution ranges from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States south through Mexico and Central America to Colombia and Venezuela. ^{[2] [3]} It is often—wrongly—referred to as Leptodactylus labialis(Cope, 1878) (or Leptodactylus mystaceus labialisShreve, 1957), which is a junior synonym of Leptodactylus mystacinus . ^[2]

Description

Leptodactylus fragilis in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

Mexican white-lipped frogs are grey-brown in color with brown or black mottling. They have a distinctive white stripe along their upper lip which gives them their name. They grow to 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) in length. ^[3]

Habitat

Mexican white-lipped frog is a widespread and common species found in a range of habitats, in savanna, grassland, semi-arid lands, and open habitats in humid and dry, lowland and montane tropical forests. It is often seen near water. ^[1]

Behavior and reproduction

Mexican white-lipped frogs are nocturnal and carnivorous. During the heat of the day, they bury themselves in loose soil of roadside ditches, irrigated cropland, or grasslands, and emerge to feed in the evenings. ^{[1] [3]}

References

1. Ronald Heyer, Andrés Acosta-Galvis, Abraham Mijares, Frank Solís, Roberto Ibáñez, Geoffrey Hammerson, Jay Savage, Larry David Wilson, Federico Bolaños, Gerardo Chaves, Javier Sunyer (2010). "Leptodactylus fragilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T57127A11587519. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T57127A11587519.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Leptodactylus fragilis (Brocchi, 1877)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
3. "Leptodactylus fragilis White-lipped Frog". Herps of Texas. University of Texas at Austin. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2014.

External links

Media related to Leptodactylus fragilis at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Leptodactylus fragilis at Wikispecies