Southern Leopard Frog
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Family: Ranidae Genus: Lithobates Species: L. sphenocephalus
Binomial name
Lithobates sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886)
Synonyms
Rana sphenocephala

The Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus^[1][2], previously Rana sphenocephala) is a species of mostly aquatic true frog, found in the south-eastern third of the United States. There are two accepted subspecies. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which do not qualify for any other category. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Typical classes Petromyzontidae (lampreys) Placodermi - extinct Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Acanthodii - extinct Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) Actinistia (coelacanths) Dipnoi (lungfish) Amphibia (amphibians) Reptilia (reptiles) Aves (birds) Mammalia (mammals) Vertebrata is a subphylum of chordates, specifically, those with backbones or spinal columns. ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia The Anura is the order of animals in the class Amphibia that includes frogs and toads. ... Genera Batacia Opyum Rana - Frog is the common name for amphibians in the order, Anura. ... Type species Rana palmipes (=Lithobates palmipes) Spix, 1824 Lithobates is a genus of frogs. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. ... In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frog is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail), formerly referred to as Salientia (Latin saltare, to jump). ... In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ...

Physical description

The Southern Leopard Frog is generally green or light brown in color, with dark brown or black blotching (that is the origin of their common name). They grow to 3½ inches (90 mm) in length and have a pointed snout. Mossy, green fountain in Wattens, Austria. ... Brown, when used as a general term, is a color which is a dark orange, red or rose, of very low intensity. ... Brown, when used as a general term, is a color which is a dark orange, red or rose, of very low intensity. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Ecology and behavior

This species prefers shallow, freshwater habitats, such as streams, ponds or lakes, with plenty of vegetation for camouflage. They are mostly nocturnal, and carnivorous, consuming almost any kind of insect they can catch and fit in their mouth, including earthworms, spiders and centipedes. They are excellent jumpers, and typically escape predation by leaping into the water and swimming to the bottom. Breeding occurs year around, as long as the temperature permits. Eggs are laid in a clutch of several hundred at the bottom of shallow water. Tadpoles hatch and remain in the fully aquatic form for approximately 90 days, feeding on algae and rotting plant matter. For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... An infant Cuttlefish blends into the surrounding sand substrate. ... A bat illustrating nocturnal features. ... This tigers sharp teeth and strong jaws are the classical physical traits expected from carnivorous mammalian predators A carnivore (IPA: ), meaning meat eater (Latin carne meaning flesh and vorare meaning to devour), is an animal that eats a diet consisting mainly of meat, whether it comes from live animals... Orders See taxonomy Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. ... Families   Acanthodrilidae   Ailoscolecidae   Alluroididae   Almidae   Criodrilidae   Eudrilidae   Exxidae   Glossoscolecidae   Lumbricidae   Lutodrilidae   Megascolecidae   Microchaetidae   Ocnerodrilidae   Octochaetidae   Sparganophilidae Earthworm is the common name for the hugest members of the Oligochaeta (which is either a class or subclass depending on the author) in the phylum Annelida. ... Diversity 111 families, 40,000 species Suborders Mesothelae Mygalomorphae Araneomorphae  See table of families Closeup image of a Wolf Spider Wikispecies has information related to: Spiders Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals that have two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. ... For the arcade game called Centipede see Centipede (video game). ... [[Image:Hawk eating prey. ... In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ...

Subspecies

• Florida Leopard Frog, Lithobates sphenocephalus sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886)
• Southern Leopard Frog, Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularia (Harlan, 1825)

Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. ... Richard Harlan (September 19, 1796 - September 30, 1843) was an American naturalist, zoologist, physicist and paleontologist. ...

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Southern Leopard Frog

Wikispecies has information related to:

Southern Leopard Frog