Lithobates lenca

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Lenca leopard frog
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Lithobates
Species:
L. lenca
Binomial name
Lithobates lenca
(Luque-Montes et al., 2018)
Synonyms

Rana lenca Luque-Montes et al. 2018

The Lenca leopard frog (Lithobates lenca) is a species of true frog found in the Chortis Highlands of southwestern Honduras at altitudes of 1560 to 2080 m. [2] [3] This frog was long thought to be a hybrid between the two lowland species Lithobates brownorum and Lithobates forreri until 2018 when DNA tests proved the highland leopard frogs to be a distinct species. They are smaller in size but have larger heads than the two lowland species, with males growing between 46.6–64.3 mm (1.83–2.53 in) while females grow between 43.7–76.3 mm (1.72–3 in). [4] The Lenca leopard frog is named after the Lenca people, who inhabit the same mountainous region as the frog. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopard frog</span> Common name of several species of amphibian

Leopard frog is a generic name used to refer to various species in the true frog genus Lithobates. They all have similar coloration: brown or green with spots that form a leopard pattern. They are distinguished by their distribution and behavioral, morphological, and genetic differences. The range of the various species of leopard frogs extends from the Hudson Bay in Canada, throughout the United States, throughout Mexico and other parts of Central America, and possibly the very northern section of South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

Lithobates pipiens or 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.

<i>Rana</i> (genus) Genus of amphibians

Rana is a genus of frogs commonly known as the Holarctic true frogs, pond frogs or brown frogs. Members of this genus are found through much of Eurasia and western North America. Many other genera were formerly included here. These true frogs are usually largish species characterized by their slim waists and wrinkled skin; many have thin ridges running along their backs, but they generally lack "warts" as in typical toads. They are excellent jumpers due to their long, slender legs. The typical webbing found on their hind feet allows for easy movement through water. Coloration is mostly greens and browns above, with darker and yellowish spots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Rio Grande leopard frog is a species of aquatic frog native to the southern United States in Texas and New Mexico, and south through Mexico and Central America. It is also sometimes referred to as the Mexican leopard frog. The epithet berlandieri is in honor of the naturalist Jean Louis Berlandier, who worked for the Mexican government on one of the first biological surveys of Texas.

<i>Lithobates</i> Genus of amphibians

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceiba stream frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Ceiba stream frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Honduras. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiricahua leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Chiricahua leopard frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, the true frogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrer's grass frog</span> Species of amphibian

Forrer's grass frog or Forrer's leopard frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae found in Mexico and Central America through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua to Costa Rica. It is a widespread and common frog found in lowland and seasonal tropical forests. It can also adapt to man-made habitats such as flooded agricultural lands and other water content systems. Reproduction requires permanent pools and lagoons.

Moore's frog is a species of frog in the true frog family (Ranidae). It is endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland frog</span> Species of amphibian

The highland frog, also known as the masked mountain frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, known from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rivers, and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The big-footed leopard frog or bigfoot leopard frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to western central Mexico where it is found in the Nayarit, Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guanajuato states.

The island leopard frog or Little Corn Island frog is a species of frogs in the family Ranidae, endemic to Little Corn Island off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. It is locally known as rana leopardo isleña.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relict leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

The relict leopard frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, endemic to the United States. It is found along the Colorado river in extreme northwestern Arizona, and adjacent Nevada and southwestern Utah, although its present range seems to be restricted to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Its natural habitat is freshwater springs and their outlets. It is threatened by habitat loss to agriculture and water development as well as invasive species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazon River frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Amazon River frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae that occurs in the northern and Amazonian South America east of the Andes, with scattered records from northeastern Brazil. In Spanish, it is known as rana verde verdadera. Its natural habitats are tropical rainforests near permanent waterbodies. It is not considered threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is highly appreciated as food by the Ye’kwana of southeastern Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tlaloc's leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

Tlaloc's leopard frog, or rana de Tláloc in Spanish, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to the Valley of Mexico. It is most likely extinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warszewitsch's frog</span> Species of amphibian

Warszewitsch's frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Coast leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Atlantic Coast leopard frog is a species of amphibian that is endemic to the United States. As a member of the genus Ranasensu lato, it is classified as a true frog, with typical smooth skin and a narrow waist. Its range stretches along the northern part of Eastern Seaboard, from Connecticut to North Carolina. The species takes its common name from the speckles on its legs and back reminiscent of a leopard pattern.

References

  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Lithobates lenca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T143844904A176621696. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T143844904A176621696.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Luque-Montes, Austin, Weinfurther, Wilson, Hofmann, Townsend, Ileana,James D., Kayla D., Larry David, Erich P., Josiah H. (4 January 2018). "An integrative assessment of the taxonomic status of putative hybrid leopard frogs (Anura: Ranidae) from the Chortís Highlands of Central America, with description of a new species". Systematics and Biodiversity. 16 (4): 340–356. doi:10.1080/14772000.2017.1415232. S2CID   90564522 via ResearchGate.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "Lithobates lenca (Luque-Montes, Austin, Weinfurther, Wilson, Hofmann, and Townsend, 2018)". Amphibian Species of the World 6.0, an Online Reference.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Bauwens, Joe (2 March 2018). "Rana lenca: A new species of Leopard Frog from the central Honduran highlands". Sciency Thoughts.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. "[Herpetology • 2018] Rana lenca • An Integrative Assessment of the Taxonomic Status of Putative Hybrid Leopard Frogs (Anura: Ranidae) from the Chortís Highlands of Central America, with Description of A New Species". Species New to Science. 15 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)