Lithobates areolatus

Geographic Range

Crawfish frogs ( Lithobates areolatus ) are native to the Nearctic region and limited to the United States. The range of the northern subspecies ( Lithobates areolatus circulosa ) extends as far north as southwestern Indiana and continues west through Illinois and Missouri into Nebraska and northeastern Oklahoma. The range continues southwards to central Arkansas. The southern subspecies ( Lithobates areolatus areolatus ) ranges from southern Kentucky and southern Tennessee to as far south as the northwestern part of Alabama. Their range continues west to southern Texas, stretching from Dallas to Houston, Texas.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • native native

Habitat

Crawfish frogs inhabit damp grasslands and tall grass prairies. Within these habitats, crawfish frogs are dependent upon burrows built exclusively by crayfish. This burrow is an underground damp and wet tunnel that provides shelter to crawfish frogs. Crawfish frogs are known to avoid certain areas that didn’t provide them with a suitable habitat. Williams et al. (2012) found that crawfish frogs avoided areas shortly after burns and found a 54-day delay return to burrows post-burn. Crawfish frogs are also known to live in habitats that contain ponds, flooded fields, and small lakes. They also breed in environments where fish are not present, so the young lack fish predators; these areas can be temporary pools.

Crawfish frogs annually live in two types of burrows: primary burrows are utilized in the non-breeding season (up to 10.5 months), and secondary burrows are used just for 11 days during the breeding season (which involves migration). Both primary and secondary burrows are between 0.15 meters to 5 meters deep. Because the primary burrows are selected by individuals for an ideal fit relative to their body size and utilized for such a larger portion of the year, individuals will return to the same burrows after breeding.

Heemeyer et al. (2012) reported that selected crayfish burrows measured 40 to 150 mm in diameter and varied in complexity. Tunnel diameter, length, and directionality (straight versus turns) varied among burrows.

• Terrestrial Biomes
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland

• Aquatic Biomes
• lakes and ponds
• temporary pools

Physical Description

Adult crawfish frogs have smooth skin whose pattern includes small dark spots encircled by a lighter ring. The dorsal side of the crawfish frog is covered in dark spots while the ventral side is white. The groin and thigh area exhibit yellow coloration, and their legs have a hint of brown and gray. Male and female crawfish frogs are visually distinct: male crawfish frogs have a brown femur while female crawfish frogs have yellow and green on the posterior of their femur. Crawfish frogs have minimal webbing between their toes. Crawfish frogs also have an external eardrum called the tympanum.

As adults, crawfish frogs can be as long as 5.7 to 9.2 cm with mature female crawfish being larger than mature male crawfish. As adults, crawfish frogs have longer hindlimbs and more robust bodies compared to other frogs such as southern leopard frogs ( Lithobates sphenocephalus ) and pickerel frogs ( Lithobates palustris ).

Just like other frogs, crawfish frogs lay eggs that hatch into tadpoles that have a maximum length of 6.35cm. Though crawfish frog tadpoles look similar to the tadpoles of leopard and pickerel frogs, they are distinguishable due to a gap separating their teeth into two sections that leopard and pickerel frogs lack. During metamorphosis from tadpole to adult, the snouts of crawfish frogs go through a process where they become wider and shorter.

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• female larger
• sexes colored or patterned differently

Development

Male and female crawfish frogs select surfaces or shallow water to lay their eggs and release sperm (while in amplexus). Female crawfish release eggs in clusters of 2,000 to 7,000 large eggs that have a size of 2.54mm. After 1 to 2 weeks, tadpoles hatch. They undergo metamorphosis from tadpole to froglet after 2 to 3 months. But this time, the tadpoles are up to 63 mm long. Newly metamorphosed froglets are 30 mm long. The age of sexual maturity for crawfish frogs is 3 to 5 years old for females and 2 to 5 years old for males. Like all frogs, crawfish frogs grow indeterminately.

• Development - Life Cycle
• metamorphosis metamorphosis
• indeterminate growth indeterminate growth

Reproduction

Crawfish frogs breed in the late winter to early spring over a span of 22 to 55 days. At this time, males migrate to the breeding ponds 5 to 6 days prior to females. Once male crawfish frogs reached their breeding pond, they call out in large choruses female crawfish frogs using a snore-like sound. When the male and female crawfish frogs meet at the breeding pond, the male crawfish frogs would grab the female crawfish frog so that they are in amplexus. In this way, they line up their cloacas. Once males’ cloaca’s are positioned above their mate, males release sperm and females release eggs. Crawfish frogs are polygynandrous.

• Mating System
• polygynandrous (promiscuous) polygynandrous (promiscuous)

Breeding occurs in the late winter to early spring when ambient temperatures are between 10 to 12 °C. This timing is typically January to April in the southern reaches of their range. The time frame is slightly later, late February until early May, in the northernmost areas. When in amplexus, males release sperm and females release 2000 to 7000 eggs. Once the eggs are released, the egg masses remain strung together in the shallow water of the pond. The eggs are 2.54mm wide. After 1 to 2 weeks, the tadpoles hatch, and after 2 to 3 months, the tadpoles metamorphose to be 30mm. At hatching, tadpoles are immediately independent.

The age of sexual maturity for crawfish frogs is 3 to 5 years old for females and 2 to 5 years old for males.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
  • external external
• oviparous oviparous

Male and female crawfish frogs exhibit no parental care beyond the act of mating. The eggs and hatched young are completely independent.

• Parental Investment
• no parental involvement

Lifespan/Longevity

The lifespan for crawfish frogs is reported to be a maximum of 9 years. A study in Illinois reported adult crawfish frogs between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. During the summertime, ponds begin to dry which negatively impacts the survival of crawfish frogs. Williams et al. (2012) released 480 juvenile crawfish frogs and reported 48% survival. Crawfish frogs are not kept in captivity.

Behavior

Crawfish frogs’ are fossorial (as burrowers) and terricolous (hopping on the ground). As tadpoles, they are natatorial. Their use of their burrow determines their behavior. Crawfish frogs position themselves at the opening of their burrow, exposing just their mouth. Crawfish frogs also sit on the outside platform of their burrow to feed. Crawfish frogs also lower their bodies to the soil and press their legs against their bodies when on their platform. To feed, crawfish frogs sit on their platform until they see their prey. They strike, capture their prey, and return to the platform.

While on that platform they remain alert and still. This position allows crawfish frogs to quickly retreat into their burrow if threatened. When they reenter the burrow, they do so headfirst. Unlike adult crawfish frogs, crawfish froglets tend to travel farther from their burrows, making it harder for them to avoid predators.

These frogs are nocturnal as tadpoles, often foraging in shallow sediments at night. As adults they switch behaviors to forage during crepuscular hours - sitting outside their burrows at dawn and dusk.

Crawfish frogs are known to mate in breeding pools during the late winter to early spring. Male crawfish frogs arrive at breeding pools first and begin calling to attract females. When it is time to breed, male crawfish frogs produce a low pitched, snore-like call that can be heard ca. 800 m away. When migrating from their breeding pool to the burrow, crawfish frogs use the same route and females crawfish frogs retreat back to these burrows shortly after laying their eggs.

As ectotherms, crawfish frogs enter brumation between November and February. They remain in their burrows until temperatures warm.

• Key Behaviors
• terricolous
• fossorial fossorial
• natatorial natatorial
• nocturnal nocturnal
• crepuscular crepuscular
• motile motile
• migratory migratory
• hibernation hibernation
• solitary solitary

Home Range

Although home range has not been reported, crawfish frogs spend most of their time underground in burrows that were built by crayfish. Their burrows are 0.15 to 5 meters deep, measure 40 to 150 mm in diameter and have an area of 0.05 m^2. Crawfish frogs are also known to travel to their breeding pools that are up to 370 meters away. They are not known to defend territory.

Communication and Perception

To communicate with conspecifics, crawfish frogs use a low-pitched, snore-like call that can be heard ca. 800 m away. The sound of their call resembles the noise “wurr-r-r-up.” Male crawfish frogs have large, horizontal vocal sacs, and expand their bodies when they are calling. The calls of males differ from females; the latter can only make simple alarm calls common to all frogs species. The call of crawfish frogs can be heard at night, most often in a chorus during warmer temperatures. Breeding occurs during warmer temperatures and their snore-like calls indicate that males are ready to breed.

Crawfish frogs use tactile behaviors when breeding; males grab females so that they are in amplexus. They also use tactile behaviors to capture and consume prey. These frogs use visual behaviors when recognizing other frogs, predators, and food. Like all frogs, they use chemical behaviors to detect alarm signals that are released into the water.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic

• Other Communication Modes
• choruses choruses

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

The diet of adult crawfish frogs consists of moths (Order Lepidoptera), ants (Family Formicidae), spiders (Order Aranaea), grasshoppers (Order Orthoptera), beetles (Order Coleoptera), and crickets (Order Orthoptera). The feeding location of crawfish frogs depends on the season. During the colder months, crawfish frogs catch their prey from outside their burrow then consume them inside their burrow. This also allows them to consume their prey without being disturbed by predators. During the warmer months, crawfish frogs feed outside of their burrow entrance. While they are feeding, they will not leave their feeding platform unless they see other prey. Once their prey is caught, crawfish frogs return to the entrance of their burrow. While adult crawfish frogs eat larger prey, tadpole crawfish frogs eat algae in the water.

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • insectivore insectivore
  • eats non-insect arthropods
• herbivore herbivore
  • algivore

• Animal Foods
• insects
• terrestrial non-insect arthropods

• Plant Foods
• algae

Predation

Adult crawfish frogs are at the greatest risk of predation when they leave their burrows for mating season. When stationed near their burrow, they can quickly retreat to it. In the burrow, these frogs turn their bodies towards the entrance of the burrow, inflate their bodies and lower their heads.

Unlike adult crawfish frogs, crawfish froglets tend to be farther from their burrow, making it harder for them to avoid predators. As smaller individuals, they cannot fully inflate in the burrows and are therefore more susceptible to predation.

Crawfish frogs' predators include snakes such as common water snakes ( Nerodia sipedon ), cottonmouths ( Agkistrodon piscivorus ) and mammals like raccoons ( Procyon lotor ). Tadpole predators include backswimmers ( Nontonecta ) and dragonfly naiads ( Anax ).

Ecosystem Roles

Crawfish frogs consume insects as adults and are preyed upon by snakes and mammals.

Crawfish frogs host the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis . They are host to trematodes ( Dasymetra conferta , Haematoloechus complexus , Renifer ellipticus ), cestodes ( Oochoristica eumecis , Ophiotaenia ) and nematodes ( Cosmocercoides variabilis , Omeia papillocauda ).

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Crawfish frogs have no positive economic effects on humans.

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Crawfish frogs have no negative economic effects on humans.

Conservation Status

Crawfish frogs are listed as species of “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List. These frogs are not listed on the US Federal List, CITES, or the State of Michigan List. Though crawfish frogs are listed as species of “Least Concern,” they are legally state-endangered in Indiana. NatureServe reports they are vulnerable in Kansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. They are listed as imperiled in Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas and they are listed as critically imperiled in Iowa and Louisiana.

Threats to crawfish frogs include habitat conversion to agriculture, habitat succession and woody encroachment, and an increase in flood concerns. Crawfish frogs are tied to crayfish for the creation of their burrows; if crayfish decline, so do these frogs. More threats to crawfish frogs include isolation, natural disasters and inbreeding which can lead to reduced genetic diversity. More threats that crawfish frogs face are drying ponds and a fungal pathogen called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis which affects crawfish frogs’ skin and disrupts their body functions.

Conservation efforts are in place. In Indiana, government officials have set aside suitable habitats for crawfish frogs. An on-site conservation effort that helps crawfish frogs is prescribed burns that push back succession in their open-canopied habitats. Additional conservation efforts include releasing tadpoles into restored habitats and manipulating wetland water depths that benefit waterfowl and these frogs.

Other Comments

Crawfish frogs are also referred to in the literature as Rana areolata .

Additional Links

AmphibiaWeb

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Hilary Fangna (author), Radford University, Natalie May (editor), Radford University, Alexander McVicker (editor), Radford University, Karen Powers (editor), Radford University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

References

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