relict leopard frog
{{Short description|Species of amphibian}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Relict leopard frog
| image = Relict leopard frog 6-13-21 - 51245886015.jpg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status2 = G1
| status2_system = TNC
| taxon = Lithobates onca
| authority = (Cope, 1875)
| synonyms = Rana onca Cope, 1875
}}
The relict leopard frog (Lithobates onca, formerly Rana onca) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, endemic to the United States.
Description
The vocalizations of the relict leopard frog have been described as a "low rumbling 'snore'."{{Cite book |last=Long |first=Kim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MPEomtKfRcC&dq=%22relict+leopard+frog%22&pg=PA48 |title=Frogs: A Wildlife Handbook |date=1999 |publisher=Big Earth Publishing |isbn=978-1-55566-226-4 |pages=48 |language=en}} Individuals measure {{Convert|4.4–8.4|cm|in|abbr=on|sp=us}}, and have a narrow, brown-colored body with darker spots and a beige-colored streak on the upper lip. Relict leopard frogs are most nocturnal.
Distribution and habitat
Its historic range is along the Colorado River in extreme northwestern Arizona, and adjacent Nevada and southwestern Utah, although true to its name, its present range seems to be restricted to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, rendering it extirpated in Arizona and Utah.{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Anura/Ranidae/Lithobates/Lithobates-onca |title=Lithobates onca (Cope, 1875) |author=Frost, Darrel R. |year=2014 |work=Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=1 February 2015}} Its natural habitat is freshwater springs and their outlets.
Conservation
In the mid-20th century, the relict leopard frog was declared to be extinct.{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |last3= |last4= |first4= |title=Relict Leopard Frog - Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/para/learn/nature/relict-leopard-frog.htm |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}} The species was rediscovered in the 1990s in the Virgin River and Muddy River watersheds in Nevada. It is threatened by habitat loss to agriculture and water development as well as invasive species.
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- File:Relict leopard frog egg mass.jpg[http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=exact&CISOOP2=exact&CISOMODE=grid&CISOGRID=thumbnail,A,1;title,A,1;subjec,A,0;common,200,0;none,A,0;20;title,none,none,none,none&CISOBIB=title,A,1,N;identi,A,0,N;common,200,0,N;none,A,0,N;none,A,0,N;20;title,none,none,none,none&CISOTHUMB=20%20%284x5%29;title,none,none,none,none&CISOTITLE=20;title,none,none,none,none&CISOHIERA=20;identi,title,none,none,none&CISOSUPPRESS=0&CISOFIELD1=subjec&CISOROOT=/wss&CISOBOX1=Amphibians&CISOFIELD2=common&CISOBOX2=Relict+Leopard+Frog Rana onca recordings]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2275158}}
Category:Amphibians described in 1875
Category:Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope
Category:Amphibians of North America
Category:Endemic amphibians of the United States
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Ranidae-stub}}