| Crawfish Frog | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Rana |
| Species: | R. areolata |
| Binomial name | |
| Rana areolata Baird & Girard, 1852 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Rice & Davis, 1878 Rana octoplicata |
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The Crawfish Frog (Rana areolata[1][2][3]) 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, in its northern ranges as Hoosier Frog, and in its southern ranges as the Texas Frog. The name "Gopher Frog" is sometimes misapplied to this species.
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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 has a light colored ring around it. 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.
Crawfish Frogs are nocturnal, generally inhabiting open areas near permanent or ephemeral ponds. Unlike other species of frog commonly found in their range, such as Leopard frogs (Rana blairi and Rana sphenocephala) and Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), outside of the breeding season, they are not often found sitting on the edge of the water, but instead prefer to make use of terrestrial crayfish burrows, 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.
Breeding occurs from late winter through mid-spring, depending on local conditions, 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.
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.
There are four subspecies of Rana areolata:
The Crawfish Frog is listed as near threatened by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and is listed as endangered in the state of Iowa and Indiana.