AmphibiaWeb - Rana yavapaiensis
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(Translations may not be accurate.)

Rana yavapaiensis Platz and Frost, 1984
Lowland Leopard Frog
Subgenus: Pantherana
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.

© 2004 William Flaxington (1 of 9)

  hear call (112.7K RM file)
  hear call (5362.6K WAV file)
  hear call (321.4K MP3 file)

[call details here]

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 (61 records).

Description
Female snout-vent lengths are between 46 and 72 mm and male snout-vent lengths are between 53 and 87 mm. Dorsolateral folds are prominent and lightly colored; they are interrupted posteriorly and deflected medially in the sacral region. There is a supralabial stripe, which is incomplete, and diffuses anterior to the eye. The venter is cream colored, with the yellow coloration of the the groin often extending onto the posterior venter and onto the underside of the legs.

Distribution and Habitat

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

U.S. state distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah

 

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
View Bd and Bsal data (61 records).
Rana yavapaiensis is found in western New Mexico, Arizona and presumably in adjacent parts of Sonora, Mexico. Specimens have also been collected, but not recently, in Imperial Co., California, Overton, Clark Co., Nevada, and near St. George, Washington Co., Utah. The distribution is otherwise fairly continuous, except in Littlefield, Mohave Co., in extreme northwestern Arizona, and in extreme southwestern Arizona.

Populations usually are found in ponds, and in stream and river pools, in scrub desert localities throughout south central and southeastern Arizona. They are also found in adjacent tributaries of rivers flowing into Sonora, Mexico and New Mexico. R. yavapaiensis are most abundant in deep water, where they are protected from predation. In the scrub desert habitats, they are found at elevations below 1000 m. However, some populations in Central Arizona (Yavapai Co.) reach elevations of up to 1700 m.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Rana yavapaiensis has an advertisement call consisting of a series of short notes, and the call may last between 3 and 8 minutes. The first note is usually longer than the six to fifteen following notes. The internode time generally decreases as the call sequence progresses.

Comments

See another account at californiaherps.com.

References

Platz, J. E. (1963). ''Rana yavapaiensis (Platz and Frost) Lowland Leopard Frog.'' Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 418.1-418.2.



Originally submitted by: Franziska Sandmeier (first posted 2001-02-23)
Edited by: Kellie Whittaker (2008-01-27)

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Rana yavapaiensis: Lowland Leopard Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5187> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Mar 18, 2024.



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

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