Geographic Range
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.
Habitat
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.
Rana 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.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- terrestrial
- freshwater
- Aquatic Biomes
- lakes and ponds
- rivers and streams
Physical Description
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.
Rana chiricahuensis
reaches a maximum size of 50-135 mm, with males generally smaller than females. Tadpoles
are small and dark-colored.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- female larger
Development
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
Reproduction
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.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- oviparous
Lifespan/Longevity
These frogs can live up to 14 years in the wild.
Behavior
Being quite shy, these frogs will dive toward the deepest areas of their habitat when disturbed. This species is preyed upon by bullfrogs and predatory fish.
Chiricahua leopard frogs nest in tress and shrubs with dense foliage from 0-4 m off
the ground. Males attract females using a distinctive mating call. This trilling,
snore-like call has been studied intensively and can be used to distinguish this species
from similar frogs inhabiting the same region.
- Key Behaviors
- saltatorial
- natatorial
- motile
Communication and Perception
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
Food Habits
This species probably consumes a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates which
are caught by the frog's long, quickly extendable tongue.
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- insectivore
- eats non-insect arthropods
- Animal Foods
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
Predation
Bullfrogs
and
fish
are known predators of
R. chiricahuensis
.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
These frogs are both predators of many invertebrate species and prey of other frogs
and fish.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
This species is not of great economic importance to humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
This species does not adversely affect humans in any significant way.
Conservation Status
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.
Additional Links
Contributors
Matthew Wund (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Al Hilton (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Nearctic
-
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- freshwater
-
mainly lives in water that is not salty.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- metamorphosis
-
A large change in the shape or structure of an animal that happens as the animal grows. In insects, "incomplete metamorphosis" is when young animals are similar to adults and change gradually into the adult form, and "complete metamorphosis" is when there is a profound change between larval and adult forms. Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- external fertilization
-
fertilization takes place outside the female's body
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- saltatorial
-
specialized for leaping or bounding locomotion; jumps or hops.
- natatorial
-
specialized for swimming
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- threatened
-
The term is used in the 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals to refer collectively to species categorized as Endangered (E), Vulnerable (V), Rare (R), Indeterminate (I), or Insufficiently Known (K) and in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals to refer collectively to species categorized as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), or Vulnerable (VU).
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
References
Platz, J., J. Mecham. 1979. Rana chiricahuensis, a new species of leopard frog (Rana pipens complex) from Arizona. Copeia , 3: 383-390.
Southwest Center Species Database, 2003. "Chiricahua Leopard Frog" (On-line). Accessed 10/05/04 at http://www.sw-center.org/swcbd/species/lfrog/index.HTML .
The Nature Conservatory, 2004. "An Elemental Fact: The Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Rana chiricahuensis)" (On-line). Accessed 10/05/04 at http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newmexico/science/art1163.html .
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2001. "Division of Endangered Species, Species Informaion" (On-line). Accessed March 7, 2001 at http://endangered.fws.gov/wildlife.html .