Chiricahua Leopard Frog

This leopard frog attains an adult snout-vent length of 57-95 mm. Its body is fairly stocky, with rugose skin on the back and sides. Dorsolateral folds are present but interrupted posteriorly and displaced medially. The supralabial stripe is incomplete in adults. Vocal sacs are small and external. Grey mottling on the throat may extend onto the chest. The venter is variably melanistic with yellowish pigmentation in the groin region. The posterior of the thigh and the area surrounding the cloaca is covered with small tubercles.(image, http://amphibiaweb.org/images/sound3.gif) Hear calls at the Western Sound Archive (http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/wss&CISOPTR=964&CISOBOX=1&REC=1).

Discontinuously distributed in Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora and Chihuahua. Populations occur in the montane areas of the Mogollon Rim and along the eastern base of the Sierra Madre Occidental. Rana chiricahuensis is found at elevations from 1000-2600 m, and occurs in a variety of permanent aquatic habitats which provide adequate depth for predator escape.

Permanent aquatic habitats with well-oxygenated water and aquatic vegetation are necessary for the survival of this species. It usually occurs at altitudes of 1,000-2,600 m. Lithobates chiricahuensis inhabits a wide variety of springs, streams, lakes, and ponds, as well as man-made habitats. The Nature Conservatory's Mimbres River Preserve is currently the home of one of the largest populations of this species.

Range elevation: 1000 to 2600 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial ; freshwater

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams

Bullfrogs and fish are known predators of L. chiricahuensis.

Known Predators:

• bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus)

Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic

These frogs are similar in appearance to a small, extremely stocky bullfrogs with spots. They are olive to dark green in color, with charcoal spots. The groin features a yellowish pigmentation which may extend onto the posterior and abdomen. Lithobates chiricahuensis reaches a maximum size of 50-135 mm, with males generally smaller than females. Tadpoles are small and dark-colored.

Range length: 50 to 135 mm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: female larger

These frogs can live up to 14 years in the wild.

Range lifespan
Status: wild: 14 (high) years.

Presently, Chiricahua leopard frogs inhabit two known ranges. One extends from central Arizona along the Mogollon Rim to western New Mexico.

The other range is from the montane section of southeastern Arizona adjacent to Sonora to the southwest corner of New Mexico and parts of Mexico, including the Sierra Madre, northern Durango, and Chihuahua.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

This species probably consumes a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates which are caught by the frog's long, quickly extendable tongue.

Animal Foods: insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods

Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore , Eats non-insect arthropods)

These frogs are both predators of many invertebrate species and prey of other frogs and fish.

This species is not of great economic importance to humans.

This species does not adversely affect humans in any significant way.

Eggs form clumped, spherical masses which are usually suspended on the surface of water, or on vegetation growing in water. Tadpoles undergo metamorphosis 2-9 months after hatching. After metamorphosis, sexual maturity is reached in 2-3 years. This species can live up 14 years in the wild.

Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis

This species is a candidate for a listing as an endangered species by the U.S. Federal Government. Chiricahua leopard frog populations have declined dramatically in recent years due to a variety of causes. One primary cause is habitat destruction due to the drainage of water from aquatic habitats, damming, river channeling, and grazing. The introduction of exotic frogs and predatory fish has also hurt this species. In addition, increasing levels of UV radiation due to the loss of the Earth's ozone layer have been shown to damage the eggs of this and other frog species.

US Federal List: threatened

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable

Males use a trilling, snore-like mating call to attract females. The call is distinct from other frog species in the same region.

Communication Channels: acoustic

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

These frogs breed throughout June-August at elevations above 1,800 m, or during spring to late summer below 1,800 m. Permanent water is required for their reproduction. Eggs form clumped, spherical masses which are usually suspended on the surface of water, or on vegetation growing in water.

Breeding season: June - September

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 to 3 years.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 to 3 years.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (External ); oviparous

The Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) is a medium to large, stocky frog with adult lengths snout to vent from 5.0- 13.5 cm (2.0-5.4 in). The ground color on the dorsum is green to brown; the upper lip stripe is faint or absent in front of the eye; the head and face is usually green. The skin is rougher with more tubercles, and dorsal spots are generally smaller and more numerous than in other leopard frogs. Dorsolateral folds are broken toward the rear of the body, angling inward. The eyes are higher on the head and more upturned than other Arizona leopard frogs. The hind feet are webbed, and males have a swollen and darkened thumb base. In adults (and some juveniles), the rear surface of the thigh is speckled with “salt and pepper” markings, or small dots each densely covered with light-tipped tubercles, usually on a dark ground color. (Stebbins 1985; Brennan and Holycross 2006). The venter is a dull whitish or yellowish color, while gray mottling usually occurs on the throat and sometimes on the chest. The groin and lower abdomen are often yellow. Platz (1988) notes that the “posterior surfaces of thighs have numerous small papilla, each surrounded by cream colored skin...adults have mottled venter and males along southern Arizona border have vestigial oviducts.” Found in mountain regions of central and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, south in the Sierra Madre Occidental to Western Jalisco, Mexico from 1066-2408 m (3500-7900 ft), (Platz and Mecham 1979; Sredl et al. 1997). They are highly aquatic habitat generalists. Adults become active in February (Jennings 1988, 1990), and eggs are laid in spring and sporadically through the summer and fall. Males usually call above water, but may also advertise below water (Degenhardt et al. 1996). Their call consists of a 1-3 second long, low-pitched, hollow snore (Brennan and Holycross 2006). Home ranges for males (dry season mean = 161.0 m2; wet season mean = 375.7 m2) tend to be larger than those for females (dry season mean = 57.1 m2; wet season mean = 92.2 m2). Post-metamorphic Chiricahua leopard frogs are generally inactive from November-February, however, a detailed study of wintertime activity or habitat use has not been done. Although microsites for these hibernacula have not been studied, they likely over-winter near breeding sites. (Sredl, in Lannoo 2005). Life span and age at first reproduction are unknown, although preliminarily, skeletochronology of Chiricahua leopard frogs indicate that they can live =/

The Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis syn. Rana chiricahuensis) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, the true frogs.