Columbia spotted frog

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Columbia spotted frog
Rana luteiventris

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae
Genus: Rana
Species:
R. luteiventris
Binomial name
Rana luteiventris
Thompson, 1913
Synonyms

Rana pretiosa
luteiventris Thompson, 1913

The Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) is a

model species for the effects of habitat fragmentation
.

Description

The Columbia spotted frog is a medium-sized frog reaching lengths of up to 3.5 in (90 mm). Its color ranges from a dark, olive green to light brown with irregularly shaped black spots on its back and legs (rendering its name). Its skin texture, like the rest of the genus, varies from a rough to a smooth texture, with small folds of skin along the back. This frog exhibits a unique feature regarding its color. A light-colored strip runs along the upper lip, and the

ventral
sides of the frog are usually colored either pink or yellow, but only in the adult form.

Columbia spotted frog

This frog is well known by a few of its physical characteristics, as well. It has a long, narrow out and upturned eyes. The spotted frog is known as a very aquatic amphibian; the webbing on its feet extends all the way to the end of its longest toe. When comparing this frog to others of the same size, such as the northern leopard frog, it tends to have shorter hind legs.

The

tadpoles
are brownish-green in color, which runs dorsally along the tadpole. Gold spots are also intermittent throughout this coloring. The tadpoles have upturned, inset eyes. They usually reach around 3.1 inches (80 mm) in length before maturing to adults.

Habitat

Example of marsh-like habitat

Geographical location

The Columbia spotted frog is widespread throughout western

Washington, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah
.

Habitat

The Columbia spotted frog, like most other frogs, is fairly

marshes. These frogs were found to need specific habitat
characteristics within these broader habitat characteristics. Adult spotted frogs inhabit mostly seasonally flooded sites, where the water source is constant, but at certain times of the year, increases exponentially in both the amount and level of water available.

Vegetation needs

These frogs are a constant victim to predation, so they require an abundant source of low-growing or emergent vegetation as shelter.

Conservation

In areas such as the Silver Valley in Northern Idaho, some spotted frog habitats have been destroyed by toxicants such as smelter byproducts. When ecosystems are contaminated with mixtures of heavy metals such as lead, zinc, cadmium, mercury, silver, and copper, this can disrupt the ability of Columbia spotted frogs to reproduce.[3] Frogs raised in outdoor mini-ecosystems with Silver Valley soil (which contains mixtures of different metals) also showed altered predator-avoidance behaviors, decreased learning and adaptation abilities, and slower fright responses towards predator cues compared to frogs raised in mini-ecosystems with single metals.[3] An additional effect of these metal mixtures was delayed metamorphosis.[3] Another substance that can negatively affect Columbia spotted frogs is the piscicide rotenone, which is used to remove non-native fish species.[4] A recent study revealed that rotenone had deadly effects on Columbia spotted frog tadpoles that had not developed into lung-breathing stages.[5] There was a 100% mortality rate in tadpoles exposed to rotenone compared to almost no effects of the chemical on adult frogs. The lungs of adult frogs and juveniles allow them to survive rotenone in their environment.

Reproduction

The Columbia spotted frog reproduces similarly to other

cattails
. The spotted frog reproduces in the same body of water in which it lives.

Males present a chorus to the females to try to attract a mate. This song ranges from a series of clicks to long,

oviposition
site.

Columbia spotted frog egg mass (free-floating in a pond)

Female

Once the oviposition site is created, the female then begins to lay her eggs in shallow water, and the male fertilizes the eggs. The egg masses, fairly large in size, range up to 1300 eggs. The egg masses, once laid, absorb water and become the size of a softball. These eggs are not attached to any type of vegetation, but are left free-floating in a permanent water source. Soon after, the eggs hatch into tadpoles.

Breeding times

The Columbia spotted frog's breeding schedule depends heavily on geographical location and elevation. In British Columbia, the frog will breed during February at sea level. In areas around Utah, the frog will breed around mid-March at an elevation of about 1,395 m (4,577 ft). At areas of Wyoming, the frog will reproduce from May through June at elevations around 2,377 m (7,799 ft). The female will breed yearly at lower elevations and about every two to three years at higher elevations.

Diet

This frog is opportunistic at best. It will eat a variety of insects, including grasshoppers, ants, wasps, beetles, and moths. These insects comprise more than 50% of the frog's diet. This frog will also eat seemingly unusual animals, such as crustaceans, mollusks, arthropods, and arachnids.

In addition to being an insectivore, the Columbia spotted frog will eat algae, organic debris, a variety of plants, and other smaller, water-dwelling organisms.

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T58649A78908785.en
    . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Rana luteiventris Thompson, 1913". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  3. ^
    S2CID 23620695
    . Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  4. ^ Xue, Xue; Bian, Jin-Song. "Piscicide". ScienceDirect. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. doi:10.1080/02755947.2012.692349
    . Retrieved 29 November 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rana luteiventris.
Wikispecies has information related to Rana luteiventris.
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