Introduced Range: Red
Listen to this frog:
A short example
More sounds of
Rana berlandieri
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Introduced: not native to California
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Adult, Riverside County |
Adult, Imperial County |
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Juvenile, Imperial County |
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Adult, Hidalgo County, Texas |
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| Adult in defensive position, Travis County, Texas |
Adult, Willacy County, Texas |
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Juvenile, Williamson County, Texas |
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Tadpoles, Bandera County, Texas |
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Habitat, Colorado River, Imperial County |
Habitat, Colorado River, Imperial County |
Habitat, hot Springs, Imperial County
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Habitat, Riverside County |
Habitat, Irrigation canal,
Imperial County
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Description |
| Size |
| Adults are 2 1/4 - 4 1/2 inches long from snout to vent (5.7 - 11.4 cm). |
| Appearance |
Coloring is pale green, grayish brown, olive. Dorsal spots are light and not clearly edged with light color. Thighs have dark reticulations. Prominent dorsolateral folds turn inward in front of the groin.
A light-colored stripe runs along the jaw but fades or disappears in front of the eye. Below is dusky colored and mottled with dark corlor. The groin and underside of the rear legs are yellowish. |
| Voice (Listen) |
| The call is a short, low-pitched trill or rattle, lasting less than a second, given singly or in rapid sequences of 2 - 3 trills. Calls at night. |
| Behavior |
| Typically a stream frog. Highly aquatic, seldom found away from water, but can tolerate fairly dry conditions by burrowing. Can be active at day and more likely at night, and probably all year long. |
| Diet |
| Feeds on a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic prey, including other frogs. Typical of most frogs, the prey is located by vision, then a large sticky tongue is used to catch the prey and bring it into the mouth to eat. |
| Reproduction |
| Mating and egg-laying typically occurs in water after rainfall at almost any time of the year. Egg masses are attached to submerged vegetation. |
| Range |
Native to Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. Recently introduced into extreme southwest Arizona and California in the Imperial Valley and the lower Colorado River area. Range is expanding through dispersal by agricultural canals.
According to Jennings and Fuller in their 2004 report on the distribution of leopard frogs in California "Rio Grande leopard frogs seem to have been accidentally introduced into the lower Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona, via one or more fish plants from either Texas or New Mexico between 1965 and 1971 (Platz et al. 1990). Since 1981, the species has expanded its range and has been taken in agricultural areas along the lower Colorado River (Clarkson and Rorabaugh 1989) and in the Imperial Valley (Jennings and Hayes 1994s)." This frog is continuing to expand its range in the Imperial Valley. |
| Habitat |
| In California, occurs in drainage ditches, canals, desert hot springs, lower Colorado river. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| This frog has been renamed Lithobates berlandieri, but this nomenclature is not yet standard. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| It appears that the introduction of the Rio Grande Leopard Frog has been responsible for the disappearance of the native Lowland Leopard Frog in southeastern California, although there may be other causes for the decline.
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Ranidae |
True Frogs |
| Genus |
Rana |
True Frogs |
| Species |
berlandieri |
Rio Grande Leopard Frog
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Original Description |
Baird, 1859 - Report U.S. Mex. Bound. Survey, Vol. 2, Pt. 2, Rept., p. 27, pl. 36, figs. 7-10
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Rana - Frog - "Rana" probably mimics how the Romans heard their call.
berlandieri - honors Berlandier, Jean Louis
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Lithobates berlandieri
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Related or Similar California Frogs |
Rana yavapaiensis
Rana catesbeiana
Rana draytonii
Rana cascadae
Rana boylii
Rana aurora
Rana pretiosa
Rana pipiens
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Jennings, Mark R., and Michael M. Fuller. 2004. Origin and distribution of leopard frogs, Rana pipiens complex, in California. California Fish and Game 90(3):119-139.
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Davidson, Carlos. Booklet to the CD Frog and Toad Calls of the Pacific Coast - Vanishing Voices. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, 1995.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
This frog is not included on the Special Animals List, meaning there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California according to the Dept. of Fish and Game.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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