The Atlantic Coast leopard frog (''Lithobates kauffeldi'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

that is endemic to the United States. As a member of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Rana'' '' sensu 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 Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The species takes its common name from the speckles on its legs and back reminiscent of a

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

pattern. It is one of several species classified as

leopard frog 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 behavior ...

s, distinguished as unique through its mating call, genetic differences, habitat, and morphological distinctions.

Etymology

The Atlantic Coast leopard frog is one of several species of leopard frogs. Its species name, ''kauffeldi'', is derived from the name of Staten Island herpetologist Carl Frederick Kauffeld, who in 1936 proposed that there could be a third species of leopard frog inhabiting the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

, specifically Staten Island. The author team that described the species in 2014 christened it after Kauffeld in honor of him.

Distribution and range

''L. kauffeldi'' is found along the northeastern coast of the United States from central Connecticut to northeastern North Carolina. The north-south range is approximately 780 km long, and the width is about 100 km from the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

shoreline inward. The range narrows as it progressed southward, mostly along the I-95 corridor. The species is thought to inhabit ten states, but the entirety of its distribution and range is not known. It is thought to be extirpated from most of western

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. The Atlantic Coast leopard frog is thought to be

sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...

with both the northern leopard frog and the

southern leopard frog ''Lithobates sphenocephalus'' or ''Rana sphenocephala'', commonly known as the southern leopard frog, is a medium-sized anuran in the family Ranidae (the true frogs). It is native to eastern North America from Kansas to New York to Florida. It is ...

in the northern and southern parts of its range, respectively. For a time the species remained undiscovered because of its similarity to both of the aforementioned in physical appearance and habitat. A vector rendition of the range from Figure 1 of Feinberg et al. (2014) showing the range of the Atlantic Coast leopard frog side by side with the previously understood range for the northern and southern leopard frogs is shown

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...

on Wikimedia Commons.

Characteristics

The frogs' coloring ranges from mint-gray to light olive green, and brown spots distribute irregularly across their backs and legs. Dark snout lines run along their heads. They have large eyes and strong legs used for leaping. Coloring has been observed to change between day and night as well as with the seasons, with many individuals taking nocturnal darker tones and diurnal lighter hues. Adult males have large vocal sacs on either side of the head which are used to produce a mating call. This call is a single and distinct "''chuck''" sound rather than the repeated "''ak-ak-ak''" of related species.

Breeding

The species breeds at a similar time of year as many other leopard frog species. The frogs commence migrations in February and March. As the air temperature rises in March and April, males begin consistent nocturnal choruses of mating calls, though both sustained diurnal and nocturnal choruses have been observed. They float in shallow water in groups of five or more and call to females. The advertisement call does not travel far, which may be a reason for dense groups. Breeding continues through spring and early summer, peaking in a 2-3 week period in late March and early April in

. Eggs are laid in clusters.

Habitat

''L. kauffeldi'' tends to inhabit large wetland areas, such as marshes, wet meadows, or slow-flowing water. Its habitat usually includes clear, shallow water. The species lives in or around open, vegetated spaces as well, with such plants as cattails, reeds, or river shrubs.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18385290 Lithobates Amphibians of the United States Endemic fauna of the United States Amphibians described in 2014