Editing Leopard frog

{{Short description|Common name of several species of amphibian}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Leopard frog
| image = Southern Leopard Frog, Missouri Ozarks.JPG
| image_caption = [[Southern leopard frog]] (''Lithobates sphenocephalus'')
| taxon = Lithobates
| authority = 
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision = See text
}}
[[File:Color Variations of the Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens).JPG|thumb|Leopard frogs, such as these northern leopard frogs (''Lithobates pipiens''), can have varying coloration and patterning between individuals]]
'''Leopard frog''' is a generic name used to refer to various species in the [[true frog]] genus [[Lithobates]]. They all have similar coloration: brown or green with spots that form a [[leopard pattern]]. They are distinguished by their distribution and behavioral, [[morphology (biology)|morphological]], and [[Genetics|genetic]] differences. The range of the various species of leopard frogs extends from the [[Hudson Bay]] in [[Canada]], throughout the [[United States]], throughout [[Mexico]] and other parts of [[Central America]], and possibly the very northern section of [[South America]].

==Taxonomy==
Leopard frogs are grouped in the genus ''[[Lithobates]]'', along with many other different frogs such as the [[American bullfrog]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/ |title= American Museum of Natural History: Amphibian Species of the World 5.5, an Online Reference |author=Frost, Darrel |year=2011 |work=Herpetology |publisher=The American Museum of Natural History |accessdate=2013-02-17|author-link= Darrel R. Frost }}</ref>

===Species===
[[File:Lithobates yavapaiensis 2.jpg|thumb|[[Lowland leopard frog]] (''Lithobates yavapaiensis'')]]
* Atlantic Coast leopard frog ([[Atlantic Coast leopard frog|''Lithobates kauffeldi'']])
* Bigfoot leopard frog (''[[Lithobates megapoda]]'')
* Browns' leopard frog (''[[Lithobates brownorum]]'')
* Chiricahua leopard frog (''[[Lithobates chiricahuensis]]'')
* Forrer's grass frog (''[[Lithobates forreri]]'')
* Guerreran leopard frog (''[[Lithobates omiltemanus]]'')
* Island leopard frog (''[[Lithobates miadis]]'')
* Lemos-Espinal's leopard frog (''[[Lithobates lemosespinali]]'')
* Lenca leopard frog (''[[Lithobates lenca]]'')
* Lowland leopard frog (''[[Lithobates yavapaiensis]]'')
* Montezuma leopard frog (''[[Lithobates montezumae]]'')
* Northern leopard frog (''[[Lithobates pipiens]]'')
* Northwest Mexico leopard frog (''[[Lithobates magnaocularis]]'')
* Peralta frog (''[[Lithobates taylori]]'')
* Pickerel frog (''[[Lithobates palustris]]'')
* Plains leopard frog (''[[Lithobates blairi]]'')
* Relict leopard frog (''[[Lithobates onca]]'')
* Rio Grande leopard frog (''[[Lithobates berlandieri]]'')
* Showy leopard frog (''[[Lithobates spectabilis]]'')
* Southern leopard frog (''[[Lithobates sphenocephalus]]'')
* Tlaloc's leopard frog (''[[Lithobates tlaloci]]'')
* Transverse volcanic leopard frog (''[[Lithobates neovolcanicus]]'')
* Vegas Valley leopard frog (''[[Lithobates fisheri]]'')

== New species ==
Several leopard frog species look very similar to each other, and even within a population there is a lot of variation. Some populations may actually be [[Species complex|cryptic species complexes]]. 

In March 2012, it was announced that DNA testing had confirmed that a new species of leopard frog had been found whose habitat was centered near New York's [[Yankee Stadium]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/03/16/new-frog-discovered-in-nyc-freshwater-species-of-the-week |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320031512/http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/03/16/new-frog-discovered-in-nyc-freshwater-species-of-the-week/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 20, 2012 |title=New Frog Discovered in NYC: Freshwater Species of the Week – News Watch |publisher=Newswatch.nationalgeographic.com |date=2012-03-16 |accessdate=2012-07-09}}</ref> and included northern [[New Jersey]], southeastern [[New York (state)|New York]], and [[Staten Island]]; the new species was first distinguished by its short, repetitive [[Frog#Call|croak]], distinct from the "long snore" or "rapid chuckle" of other leopard frog species in that area (''[[Lithobates pipiens|L. pipiens]]'' and ''[[Lithobates sphenocephalus|L. sphenocephalus]]''). This distinct species has been identified as far south as southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120314124016.htm | title= Hiding in Plain Sight, a New Frog Species With a 'Weird' Croak Is Identified in New York City | date= March 14, 2012 | publisher= [[ScienceDaily]] | accessdate=2012-03-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=A new species of leopard frog (Anura: Ranidae) from the urban northeastern US|year=2012|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2012.01.021|pmc=4135705|last1=Newman|first1=Catherine E.|last2=Feinberg|first2=Jeremy A.|last3=Rissler|first3=Leslie J.|last4=Burger|first4=Joanna|last5=Shaffer|first5=H. Bradley|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=63|issue=2|pages=445–455|pmid=22321689|bibcode=2012MolPE..63..445N }}</ref> On 30 October 2014, it was announced that the frog found in March 2012 has been described as a new species: the Atlantic Coast leopard frog ([[Atlantic Coast leopard frog|''Lithobates kauffeldi'']]) that once inhabited [[Manhattan, New York]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-leopard-frog-found-new-york-city-180953182/|title=New Leopard Frog Found in New York City|author=Nuwer, Rachel |author-link=Rachel Nuwer |date=October 29, 2014|work=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/29792309|title=Frogs' chorus leads to discovery of new species in US|work=BBC News|date=29 October 2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Aut|Hillis, David M. & Wilcox, Thomas P.}} (2004). Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana) ''[[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.]]'' '''34'''(2): 299–314. <small>{{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.007}} {{PMID|15619443}}</small> [https://web.archive.org/web/20080528131608/http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/215.pdf PDF fulltext]
* {{Aut|Hillis, David. M.}} (2007). Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. ''[[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.]]'' '''42''': 331–338. <small>{{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2006.08.001}} {{PMID|16997582}}</small> [http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/679.pdf PDF fulltext]

==External links==
* [http://www.werc.usgs.gov/OLDsitedata/fieldguide/rapi.htm Leopard Frog] at Western Ecological Research Centre
* [http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=27 Plains Leopard Frog – Rana blairi] at the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide

[[Category:Rana (genus)]]
[[Category:Amphibians of North America]]
[[Category:Amphibian common names]]
[[Category:Fauna of California]]