Gopher Frog

Where R. capito does not occur, "gopher frog" may mean any North American species of Rana that is not a bullfrog or leopard frog.
Gopher Frog
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Rana
Species: R. capito
Binomial name
Rana capito
LeConte, 1855

The Gopher Frog (Rana capito) is a species of frog in the Ranidae family. It is endemic to the Southeastern United States. It primarily inhabits the threatened sandhill communities, flatwoods, and scrub in the Atlantic coastal plain,[1] where it is usually found near ponds.[2]

Contents

Subspecies

Its two subspecies include the Carolina gopher frog (Rana capito capito), and Florida gopher frog (Rana capito aesopus). The dusky gopher frog (Rana sevosa) had previously been considered a subspecies, but was elevated to species status in 2001.[3]

Conservation status

One of its primary threats includes loss of habitat and fire suppression. Prescribed burns and habitat acquisition are considered key management strategies for its survival.[4]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ United States Geological Survey. "Rana capito". http://cars.er.usgs.gov/herps/Frogs_and_Toads/R_capito/r_capito.html. Retrieved 2007-09-04. 
  2. ^ Georgia Museum of Natural History. "Gopher Frog (Rana capito)". http://museum.nhm.uga.edu/gawildlife/amphibians/anura/ranidae/rcapito.html. Retrieved 2007-09-04. 
  3. ^ Stephen C. Richter and Rebecca A. Doubledee (2001). "Rana sevosa". AmphibiaWeb. http://www.amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-genus=Rana&where-species=sevosa&account=amphibiaweb. Retrieved 2008-08-05. 
  4. ^ Florida Natural Areas Inventory (2001). "Gopher Frog (Rana capito)". Field Guide to the Rare Animals of Florida. http://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Rana_capito.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-04. 

References

External links