Rio Grande leopard frog

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Rio Grande leopard frog
Rana berlandieri.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Lithobates
Species:
L. berlandieri
Binomial name
Lithobates berlandieri
(Baird, 1859)
Synonyms

Rana berlandieri
Rana halecina berlandieri
Rana halecina austricola
Rana virescens austricola
Rana austricola
Rana pipiens berlandieri
Rana pipiens austricola

Contents

The Rio Grande leopard frog (Lithobates berlandieri or Rana berlandieri) [2] [3] is a species of aquatic frog native to the southern United States in Texas and New Mexico, and south through Mexico and Central America. [1] 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. [4] [5]

Physical description

Rio Grande leopard frog (Lithobates berlandieri), from Cameron County, Texas, USA Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Lithobates berlandieri), Hwy 4, Cameron Co., TX, USA, (25.9442degN, 97.3533degW, 3 m. elev.) 10 April 2016.jpg
Rio Grande leopard frog (Lithobates berlandieri), from Cameron County, Texas, USA

Rio Grande leopard frogs grow from 2.2 to 4.5 inches (5.6 to 11.4 cm) in length. They are usually tan, brown, or pale green in color, with distinctive black spotting with prominent light-colored ridges down either side of their backs. Their noses are angular, and they have long, powerful legs with webbed feet.

Ecology and behavior

The species is primarily aquatic, and mostly nocturnal, though they can be often found during the day resting along the edge of the water. Despite their geographic range being mostly arid or semiarid, they inhabit permanent water sources, such as streams, creeks, and ponds. They are insectivorous, but like most frogs, will eat almost anything they can overpower and swallow. Mating occurs during the rainy periods of the spring and fall. The males make a rattling call which is loud enough to be heard a quarter mile or more away. Eggs are laid in large masses attached to aquatic vegetation.

Taxonomy

The Rio Grande leopard frog was once considered a subspecies of the northern leopard frog, but was later recognized as a distinct species due to distinct mating call and morphological differences. Recent research has placed Rio Grande leopard frogs in the Scurrilirana species group [2] [6] of the subgenus Pantherana. [3]

Geographic range and status

Found from Central Texas to New Mexico (where it is listed as vulnerable), south to Mexico through the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras to northeastern Nicaragua, [1] its presence uncertain in El Salvador. [1]

It is easily confused with other species that share its range, such as the Plains leopard frog ( Lithobates blairi ). It is unknown whether hybridization occurs. The species has also been introduced to the Colorado River in California and Arizona, and is known to be expanding its range south into Mexico in the state of Baja California. It is believed to be contributing to the population reduction of the lowland leopard frog ( Lithobates yavapaiensis ), which is native to the region. This expansion of range is the primary factor in the Rio Grande leopard frog being classified as least concern, by the IUCN Red List.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True frog</span> Family of frogs

True frogs is the common name for the frog family Ranidae. They have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. The true frogs are present in North America, northern South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Asian range extends across the East Indies to New Guinea and a single species, the Australian wood frog, has spread into the far north of Australia.

<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">Pickerel frog</span> Species of amphibian

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<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">Plains leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Plains leopard frog is a spotted frog found in North America. It is sometimes referred to as Blair's leopard frog, named after the noted zoologist and University of Texas professor, Dr. W. Frank Blair.

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

The Vegas Valley leopard frog, also known as the Las Vegas leopard frog, is an extinct species of frog. It once occurred in the Las Vegas Valley, as well as Tule Springs, Clark County, southern Nevada in the United States, at elevations between 370 and 760 m. It was believed to be the only frog endemic to the United States to have become extinct in modern times.

<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">Chiricahua leopard frog</span> Species of amphibian

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<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.

The Guatemala plateau frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It occurs in Guatemala and southern Mexico. It is impossible to morphologically distinguish this species from Lithobates forreri and Lithobates brownorum, and the validity of it has been questioned. It is an uncommon frog that inhabits cloud forests, including degraded forest, and grassland. Breeding takes place in streams and small temporary ponds. It is threatened by habitat degradation caused by agricultural encroachment, wood extraction, human settlement, and water pollution.

The smooth-backed frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to Mexico.

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

The showy leopard frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to Mexico.

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

Vaillant's frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae found in Central America. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, rural gardens, heavily degraded former forests, water storage areas, ponds, and canals and ditches.

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

The lowland leopard frog is a species of frog in the family Ranidae that is found in Mexico and the United States.

<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. 1 2 3 4 Georgina Santos-Barrera; Geoffrey Hammerson; Gunther Köhler; Larry David Wilson; Julian Lee; Rogelio Cedeño Vázquez (2010). "Lithobates berlandieri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T58561A11804296. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T58561A11804296.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 David M. Hillis (2007). "Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 42 (2): 331–338. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.08.001. PMID   16997582.
  3. 1 2 Yuan, Z.-Y.; et al. (2016). "Spatiotemporal diversification of the true frogs (genus Rana): A historical framework for a widely studied group of model organisms". Systematic Biology. 65 (5): 824–42. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syw055 . PMID   27288482.
  4. Biographies of People Honored in the Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America. Ebeltz.net. Retrieved on 2013-01-02.
  5. Bour, Roger. (2016) Where and when was Jean Louis Berlandier born? Notes on Jean Louis Berlandier. I. Bibliotheca Herpetologica. volume 12. number 1 & 2. pages 18-40.
  6. David M. Hillis & Thomas P. Wilcox (2005). "Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 34 (2): 299–314. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.007. PMID   15619443.

Further reading