AmphibiaWeb - Rana septentrionalis


Rana septentrionalis Baird, 1854 Mink Frog Subgenus: Aquarana	family: Ranidae genus: Rana
Taxonomic Notes: This species was placed in the genus Lithobates by Frost et al. (2006). However, Yuan et al. (2016, Systematic Biology, doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syw055) showed that this action created problems of paraphyly in other genera. Yuan et al. (2016) recognized subgenera within Rana for the major traditional species groups, with Lithobates used as the subgenus for the Rana palmipes group. AmphibiaWeb recommends the optional use of these subgenera to refer to these major species groups, with names written as Rana (Aquarana) catesbeiana, for example.

Conservation Status (definitions)

IUCN Red List Status Account	Least Concern (LC)
NatureServe	Use NatureServe Explorer to see status.
CITES	No CITES Listing
National Status	None
Regional Status	None
	Access Conservation Needs Assessment Report .

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (28 records).

Description
Adults are 45 to 76 mm in length, with a dorsal ground color olive brown to green. The dorsal surface is mottled or spotted with dark brown and the venter is yellowish white. The skin is smooth, and may produce a mink-like odor when rubbed. Dorsolateral folds are often absent or weakly developed, toes are broadly webbed, and only the tip of the penultimate fourth toe phalanx is free of the web.
The larva reaches a total length of 100 mm. It has an olive brown or greenish dorsum with small dark spots, a straw yellow, opaque belly, mottling on the sides, and a tail which is paler than the dorsum and marked with irregular dark blotches.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Canada, United States

U.S. state distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Wisconsin

Canadian province distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Quebec

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

View Bd and Bsal data (28 records).

The northern most range of R. septentrionalis is unknown, but it occurs from Labrador southward to Northern New Hampshire, and westward to northwestern Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba.

References

Hedeen, S. E. (1963). ''Rana septentrionalis (Baird). Mink Frog.'' Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 202.1-202.2.

Originally submitted by: Franziska Sandmeier (first posted 2001-02-21)

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2001 Rana septentrionalis: Mink Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5148> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 18, 2024.

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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 18 Nov 2024.

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