Leopard frog is a generic name used to refer to various species in the

true frog True frogs is the common name for the frog family (biology), 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 p ...

genus

Lithobates ''Lithobates'', commonly known as the bullfrogs, is a genus of true frogs, of the family Ranidae. The name is derived from '' litho-'' (stone) and the Greek ' (, one that treads), meaning one that treads on rock, or rock climber. As presently de ...

. They all have similar coloration: brown or green with spots that form a

leopard pattern A leopard pattern is a spotted color pattern, particularly in the hair coat or skin of animals, but can also describe spotting patterns in plants and a distinctive print appearing on clothing and other fabrics. In animals In animal world, leop ...

. 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 Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, throughout the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, throughout

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and other parts of

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, and possibly the very northern section of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

Taxonomy

Leopard frogs are grouped in the genus ''

'', along with many other different frogs such as the

American bullfrog The American bullfrog (''Lithobates catesbeianus''), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, po ...

Species

* Atlantic Coast leopard frog ( ''Lithobates kauffeldi'') * Bigfoot leopard frog ('' Lithobates megapoda'') * Browns' leopard frog ('' Lithobates brownorum'') * Chiricahua leopard frog ('' Lithobates chiricahuensis'') * Forrer's grass frog ('' Lithobates forreri'') * Guerreran leopard frog ('' Lithobates omiltemanus'') * Island leopard frog ('' Lithobates miadis'') * Lemos-Espinal's leopard frog ('' Lithobates lemosespinali'') * Lenca leopard frog ('' Lithobates lenca'') * Lowland leopard frog ('' Lithobates yavapaiensis'') * Montezuma leopard frog ('' Lithobates montezumae'') * Northern leopard frog (''

Lithobates pipiens ''Lithobates pipiens''Integrated Taxonomic Information System nternet2012''Lithobates pipiens'' pdated 2012 Sept; cited 2012 Dec 26Available from: www.itis.gov/ formerly ''Rana pipiens'', commonly known as the northern leopard frog, is a species ...

'') * Northwest Mexico leopard frog ('' Lithobates magnaocularis'') * Peralta frog ('' Lithobates taylori'') * Pickerel frog ('' Lithobates palustris'') * Plains leopard frog ('' Lithobates blairi'') * Relict leopard frog ('' Lithobates onca'') * Rio Grande leopard frog ('' Lithobates berlandieri'') * Showy leopard frog ('' Lithobates spectabilis'') * Southern leopard frog ('' Lithobates sphenocephalus'') * Tlaloc's leopard frog ('' Lithobates tlaloci'') * Transverse volcanic leopard frog ('' Lithobates neovolcanicus'') * Vegas Valley leopard frog ('' Lithobates fisheri'')

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 Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

and included northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, southeastern

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

, and

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

; the new species was first distinguished by its short, repetitive

croak Croak may refer to: * Croak, the sound that frogs make People with the surname * Alex Croak (born 1984), Australian athlete * James Croak (born 1951), American visual artist * John Croak (1892–1918), Canadian soldier * Marian Croak (born 1 ...

, 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. 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 Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

References

External links

at Western Ecological Research Centre
Plains Leopard Frog – Rana blairi
at the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide Rana (genus) Amphibians of North America Amphibian common names Fauna of California

Taxonomy

Species

New species

References

Further reading

External links