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leopard frog

{{Short description|Common name of several species of amphibian}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| name = Leopard frog

| image = Southern Leopard Frog, Missouri Ozarks.JPG

| image_caption = Southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)

| taxon = Lithobates

| authority =

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See text

}}

File:Color Variations of the Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens).JPG

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.

Taxonomy

Leopard frogs are grouped in the genus Lithobates, along with many other different frogs such as the American bullfrog.{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/ |title= American Museum of Natural History: Amphibian Species of the World 5.5, an Online Reference |author=Frost, Darrel |year=2011 |work=Herpetology |publisher=The American Museum of Natural History |accessdate=2013-02-17|author-link= Darrel R. Frost }}

=Species=

File:Lithobates yavapaiensis 2.jpg (Lithobates yavapaiensis)]]

New species

Several leopard frog species look very similar to each other, and even within a population there is a lot of variation. Some populations may actually be cryptic species complexes.

In March 2012, it was announced that DNA testing had confirmed that a new species of leopard frog had been found whose habitat was centered near New York's Yankee Stadium{{cite web|url=http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/03/16/new-frog-discovered-in-nyc-freshwater-species-of-the-week |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320031512/http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/03/16/new-frog-discovered-in-nyc-freshwater-species-of-the-week/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 20, 2012 |title=New Frog Discovered in NYC: Freshwater Species of the Week – News Watch |publisher=Newswatch.nationalgeographic.com |date=2012-03-16 |accessdate=2012-07-09}} and included northern New Jersey, southeastern New York, and Staten Island; the new species was first distinguished by its short, repetitive croak, distinct from the "long snore" or "rapid chuckle" of other leopard frog species in that area (L. pipiens and L. sphenocephalus). This distinct species has been identified as far south as southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.{{cite web| url= https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120314124016.htm | title= Hiding in Plain Sight, a New Frog Species With a 'Weird' Croak Is Identified in New York City | date= March 14, 2012 | publisher= ScienceDaily | accessdate=2012-03-15}}{{cite journal|title=A new species of leopard frog (Anura: Ranidae) from the urban northeastern US|year=2012|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2012.01.021|pmc=4135705|last1=Newman|first1=Catherine E.|last2=Feinberg|first2=Jeremy A.|last3=Rissler|first3=Leslie J.|last4=Burger|first4=Joanna|last5=Shaffer|first5=H. Bradley|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=63|issue=2|pages=445–455|pmid=22321689|bibcode=2012MolPE..63..445N }} On 30 October 2014, it was announced that the frog found in March 2012 has been described as a new species: the Atlantic Coast leopard frog (Lithobates kauffeldi) that once inhabited Manhattan, New York.{{Cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-leopard-frog-found-new-york-city-180953182/|title=New Leopard Frog Found in New York City|author=Nuwer, Rachel |author-link=Rachel Nuwer |date=October 29, 2014|work=Smithsonian Magazine}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/29792309|title=Frogs' chorus leads to discovery of new species in US|work=BBC News|date=29 October 2014}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{Aut|Hillis, David M. & Wilcox, Thomas P.}} (2004). Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana) Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 34(2): 299–314. {{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.007}} {{PMID|15619443}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080528131608/http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/215.pdf PDF fulltext]
  • {{Aut|Hillis, David. M.}} (2007). Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 42: 331–338. {{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2006.08.001}} {{PMID|16997582}} [http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/679.pdf PDF fulltext]

External links

  • [http://www.werc.usgs.gov/OLDsitedata/fieldguide/rapi.htm Leopard Frog] at Western Ecological Research Centre
  • [http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=27 Plains Leopard Frog – Rana blairi] at the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide

Category:Rana (genus)

Category:Amphibians of North America

Category:Amphibian common names

Category:Fauna of California