Vegas Valley Leopard Frog
The Vegas Valley Leopard frog (Rana fisheri) is a species of frog previously declared extinct.[1] Once it occurred in the Las Vegas Valley, as well as Tule Springs, Clark County, southern Nevada, United States of America, at elevations between 370 and 760 m.[2][3][4][5] It was believed to be the only frog endemic to the United States to have become extinct in modern times.[6]
A. Vanderhorst collected ten specimens of this species at Tule Springs on 13 January 1942. These frogs were believed to be the last recorded specimens of the Vegas Valley leopard frog, and are now in the University of Michigan Museum of Comparative Zoology collection.[7][8] The Vegas Valley leopard frog was considered extinct[5] after extensive searches have failed to locate the species.[1]
In 2011 a genetic analysis using DNA from preserved museum specimens of the Vegas Valley Leopard Frog revealed that it is 100% identical, genetically, to the northwestern Mogollon Rim populations[9] of the Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Rana chiricahuensis), which is extant but threatened.[10] While it has been extirpated from the Las Vegas area, the frog is no longer considered extinct because it is the same species as the Chiricahua Leopard Frog.[11] According to nomenclatural priority, the northwestern Mogollon Rim population of Rana chiricahuensis, described in 1979, is referable to the in 1893 described, extinct population of the species, Rana fisheri[9]. Rana chiricahuensis may remain a valid taxon for the southern and eastern range of the Chiricahua Leopard Frog[9].
- ^ a b Jennings, R. & Hammerson, G. (2004). Rana fisheri. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 10 December 2006.
- ^ Linsdale, J. M. 1940. Amphibians and reptiles of Nevada. Proceeding of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 73(8):197-257.
- ^ Stebbins, R. C. 1951. Amphibians of western North America. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. ix+539 pp.
- ^ Stebbins, R. C. 1985. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA.. Mild. Nat. 77:323-355.
- ^ a b Jennings, R.D., Riddle, B.R. and Bradford, D. 1995. Rediscovery of Rana onca, the relict leopard frog, in southern Nevada with comments on the systematic relationships of some leopard frogs (Rana pipiens complex) and the status of populations along the Virgin River. Unpublished report.
- ^ 'Extinct' frog was under our noses all the time. New Scientist June 17, 2011. Accessed June 17, 2011.
- ^ Platz, J. E. 1984. Status report for Rana onca Cope. Unpublished report prepared for Office of Endangered Species, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, New Mexico. iv+27 pp.
- ^ Center for Biological Diversity and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. 2002. Petition to list the relict leopard frog (Rana onca) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. (Available online)
- ^ a b c Hekkala et al. (2011). Resurrecting an extinct species: archival DNA, taxonomy, and conservation of the Vegas Valley leopard frog. Conservation Genetics, Published online: 28 May 2011 [1]. DOI: 10.1007/s10592-011-0229-6.
- ^ Bhanoo, S. N. A frog endangered but extinct no more. New York Times June 17, 2011. Accessed June 17, 2011.
- ^ Breathing life into an extinct species. Machines Like Us, June 17, 2011. Accessed June 17, 2011.
References
- Hillis, D.M., Frost, J.S.,& Wright, D.A. (1983): Phylogeny and biogeography of the Rana pipiens complex: A biochemical evaluation. Systematic Zoology' 32: 132-143.
- Hillis, D.M. (1988): Systematics of the Rana pipiens complex: Puzzle and paradigm. Annual Review of Systematics and Ecology 19: 39-63.
- Hillis, D.M. & Wilcox, T.P. (2005): Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 34(2): 299–314. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.007 PDF fulltext.
- Hillis, D. M. (2007) Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 42: 331–338.
External links