Crawfish Frog
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| Lithobates areolatus (Baird & Girard, 1852) |
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Rana areolata areolata |
The Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus[1][2], previously Rana areolata) is a species of aquatic frog native to the central United States. It gets its name because crayfish are its primary diet, and it inhabits crayfish burrows. It is also known as the Ringed Frog, the Gopher Frog, in its northern ranges, the Hoosier Frog, and in its southern ranges, the Texas Frog.
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[edit] Description
The Crawfish Frog grows from 2.2 to 3 inches (5.6 to 7.6 cm) in length. It ranges from yellow to brown in color, with a white ventral surface. There are numerous dark brown spots on its back that each have a light colored ring around them. They have a distinct skin fold on either side of their back, which are much more pronounced in males than females, and a relatively small tympanum.
[edit] Behavior
Crawfish Frogs are nocturnal, and mostly aquatic, inhabiting streams, creeks, and ponds that have muddy bottoms. Unlike other species of frog commonly found in their range, such as Leopard frogs (Rana blairi and Rana pipens) or Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), they are not often found sitting on the edge of the water, but instead prefer to make use of crayfish burrows in the mud, often sharing them with another Crawfish Frog. Their primary diet is crayfish, but they will also consume almost anything else small enough for them to overpower, including various arthropods, and even other frogs.
Mating occurs in the spring, with the females laying up to 7,000 eggs. The eggs hatch in approximately 12 days, and the tadpoles can take upwards of two years to morph into frogs.
[edit] Geographic range
The Crawfish Frog is found from the states of Indiana west to Nebraska, south to Texas and east to Mississippi, though it is believed to be extirpated from much of its northern range.
[edit] Subspecies
There are two subspecies of Rana areolata, divided by geographic range:
- Southern Crawfish Frog, Lithobates areolatus areolatus (Baird & Girard, 1852)
- Northern Crawfish Frog, Lithobates areolatus circulosa (Davis and Rice, 1883)
[edit] Conservation status
The Crawfish Frog is listed as near threatened by the IUCN Red List of Threatned Species, and is listed as endangered in the state of Iowa.
[edit] References
- ^ Frost, Darrel R. 2006. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 4 (17 August 2006). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.
- ^ Frost et al. 2006. The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Number 297. New York. Issued March 15, 2006.
