Chiricahua_leopard_frog

Chiricahua leopard frog

Chiricahua leopard frog

Species of amphibian


The Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis syn. Rana chiricahuensis)[3] is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, the true frogs.

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...

Distribution and habitat

It is native to Mexico and the United States (Arizona and New Mexico). The common name, as well as the specific name chiricahuensis, refers to the Chiricahua Mountains, AZ in which the species was first discovered.[4] Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, freshwater springs, ponds, and open excavations.

Conservation

It is threatened by habitat loss and chytrid fungus to such an extent that it has been eliminated from 80% of its former habitat.[5] The Phoenix Zoo, Arizona's Department of Game and Fish, and the USFWS are trying to mitigate threats through captive breeding and reintroduction efforts.[6]

Phylogeny

A 2011 genetic analysis provided evidence that the northwestern Mogollon Rim population of L. chiricahuensis is indistinguishable from specimens of the extinct Vegas Valley leopard frog (Lithobates fisheri).[7]

The Ramsey Canyon leopard frog (Lithobates subaquavocalis) has also been shown to be conspecific with the Chiricahua leopard frog.



References

  1. Georgina Santos-Barrera, Geoffrey Hammerson, Michael Sredl (2004). "Lithobates chiricahuensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T58575A11805575. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58575A11805575.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. Frost, Darrel (2011). "American Museum of Natural History: Amphibian Species of the World 5.5, an Online Reference". Herpetology. The American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  4. Phoenix Zoo marks restoration of 10,000th frog to the wild. National Geographic (September 1, 2010).
  5. Hekkala, Evon R.; Saumure, Raymond A.; Jaeger, Jef R.; Herrmann, Hans-Werner; Sredl, Michael J.; Bradford, David F.; Drabeck, Danielle; Blum, Michael J. (2011). "Resurrecting an extinct species: Archival DNA, taxonomy, and conservation of the Vegas Valley leopard frog". Conservation Genetics. 12 (5): 1379–1385. doi:10.1007/s10592-011-0229-6. S2CID 2787707.

Further reading


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