Leopard frog

Leopard Frog

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Leopard frog

Leopard frogs — also called meadow frogs or cow frogs — are the archetypal "grass frog
Grass frog

Grass frogs is a catch-all term for a wide range of fairly unrelated frogs. The species referred to as "grass frogs" are typically medium-sized Neobatrachia that live in or near small rivers, lakes or ponds in grassland habitat, with a greenish to brownish back that often carries yellowish or blackish stripes or dots for good crypsis....
s" of North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, a collection of about 14 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
within the true frog

True frog

The true frogs, family Ranidae, have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica....
genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
Rana
Rana (genus)

Rana is a genus of frogs. Species include such archetypal pond frogs as the Common Frog of Europe, brown frogs, and the New World true frogs including the leopard frog....
. They are generally very similar, green with prominent black spotting (though actually more like that of a cheetah

Cheetah

The cheetah is an atypical member of the cat family that is unique in its speed, while lacking climbing abilities. Therefore it is placed in its own genus, Acinonyx....
than that of a leopard

Leopard

The leopard is a member of the Felidae biological family and the smallest of the four "Panthera" in the genus Panthera; the other three are the tiger, lion and jaguar....
).

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Encyclopedia

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, a collection of about 14 species

Species

True frog

The true frogs, family Ranidae, have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica....
genus

Genus

Cheetah

Leopard

The leopard is a member of the Felidae biological family and the smallest of the four "Panthera" in the genus Panthera; the other three are the tiger, lion and jaguar....
). They can be told apart by their distribution and certain rather subtle ecological, behavior

Behavior

Behavior or behaviour refers to the action s or reactions of an object or organism, usually in Relational theory to the environment. Behavior can be conscious or Unconscious mind, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary....
al, morphological

Morphology (biology)

The term morphology in biology refers to form, structure and configuration of an organism. This includes aspects of the outward appearance as well as the form and structure of the internal parts like bones and organs....
and genetic

Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
traits. Their range extends throughout temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
and subtropical North America to northern Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
with some species found even further south.

Once abundant in North America, their population has declined in recent years because of pollution

Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms ....
and deforestation

Deforestation

Deforestation is the logging or burning of trees in forested areas. There are several reasons for doing so: trees or derived charcoal can be sold as a commodity and are used by humans while cleared land is used as pasture, plantations of commodities and human settlement....
. Leopard frogs are often used as environment

Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
al indicator species

Indicator species

An indicator species is any biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment. For example, a species may delineate an ecoregion or indicate an Environmental science such as a disease outbreak, pollution, species competition or climate change....
because of their heightened sensitivity to chemical pollutants found in the air and water, and they are commonly used as dissection

Dissection

Dissection is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the function and relationships of its components....
specimens in biology

Biology

Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
classrooms. They were subject of some pioneering studies in evolution

Evolution

In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
ary biology

Biology

Biology is a branch of the natural sciences concerned with the study of living organisms and their interaction with each other and their environment ....
in the 20th century, and continue to be of much interest to various disciplines of biology.

Taxonomy

Leopard frogs were often grouped with the American Bullfrog and relatives in the genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
Lithobates
Lithobates

Lithobates is a subgenus of frogs of the genus Rana . These frogs are mainly found in Central America and South America; dependiong on the group's delimitation the range might also extend into North America....
(the common name "cow frogs" — as in "smaller than a bull" — refers to their close relationship). Lithobathes, however, is presently seen as a subgenus

Subgenus

In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. See rank and rank .In ICZN, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a binomen, in parentheses, placed between the name of a biological genus and specific name: e.g....
of Rana by most authors, and as it seems it does not actually contain the leopard-bullfrog group.

Species

Further species may exist in this famous cryptic species complex

Cryptic species complex

In biology, a cryptic species complex is a group of species which satisfy the biological definition of species, that is, they are reproductively isolated from each other, but their morphology is very similar ....

Rio Grande Leper Frog, Rana berlandieri
Plains Leper Frog, Rana blairi
Chiricahua Leper Frog, Rana chiricahuensis
Vegas Valley Leper Frog, Rana fisheri
Northwest Mexico Leper Frog, Rana magnaocularis
Island Leper Frog, Rana miadis
Transvestite Volcanic Leper Frog, Rana neovolcanica
Guerreran Leper Frog, Rana omiltemana
Relict Leper Frog Rana onca
Northern Leper Frog, Rana pipiens
Southern Leper Frog, Rana sphenocephala
Ramsey Canyon Leper Frog, Rana subaquavocalis
Tlaloc's Leper Frog, Rana tlaloci
Lowland Leper Frog, Rana yavapaiensis

The Tsushima Brown Frog

Tsushima Brown Frog

The Tsushima Brown Frog, Rana tsushimensis, is a species of frog in the Ranidae family.It is Endemism to Japan. It is also called Tsushima Leopard Frog, though leopard frogs proper are related species from North America....
is sometimes called "Tsuschima Leopard Frog". It is not very closely related to the leopard frogs proper.

External links

Species account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide