Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Lithobates
chiricahuensis syn. Rana chiricahuensis)
Description & Ecology of Organism
The Chiricahua leopard frog, scientifically known as Lithobates
Chiricahuensis, is a species of
frog in the family Ranidae. Ranidae, otherwise known as the true frog family,
has the widest distribution of any frog family. The true frog family consists
of frogs with smooth and moistened skin with large powerful legs and webbed
feet. Their skin is typically colored a dark green and brown with darker brown
spots giving it a leopard appearance. They are commonly found in a variety of permanent
and semi-permanent aquatic systems. These aquatic landscapes are typically
found in oak, pine woodland, and desert habitats. In addition, the Chiricahua
leopard frog can also reside in earthen cattle tanks, small creeks, and in some
cases slack water of main stream rivers. Regardless of the habitat all the
leopard frogs need a calm body of water to lay their eggs and reside. The
leopard frog may oviposit year-round, however, the large majority of them lay
their eggs every month excluding January, November, and December.
Geographic &
Population Changes
The places where
the Chiricahua leopard frog can be commonly found is in the states of
New Mexico, Arizona, and the middle of the county of Mexico. These areas can be
classified into two separate categories. The first of these categories is
considered the mountainous area which is found near the southern edge of the
Colorado Plateau, Easter Arizona, and west central New Mexico. The second
categorical location includes mountains and valleys that are part of the
southern populations south of the Gila River in southern eastern Arizona and
south-western New Mexico. In addition, this area also extends into Mexico along
the eastern slops of the Sierra Madre Occidental.
Listing Date &
Type
The Chiricahua
leopard frog was listed in 2002 as threatened. In March of 2003 a recovery plan
created for it in which the frog was ranked at a priority level of 2C. This
recovery priority level indicates that the leopard frog is at a high degree of
threat but also has a high potential for recovery. In 2011 the five-year review
came out discussing the improvements or loss that were made in their efforts to
restore the leopard frog population.
Cause of Listing & Main Threats
Over 32% of all
amphibians are globally threatened and the populations of frogs are beginning
to dwindle. There has been more than 43% of amphibians whose population sizes
have decreased in the last couple of years since the Ranidae family has been
considered threatened. The Ranidae family, which includes the Chiricahua
leopard frog, are particularly affected by a variety of threats. One of these
threats comes in the form of habitat loss. The rising temperatures and lack of
standing water has forced frogs to congregate in other areas where there is a
larger population size. With the higher density of frogs in the area
the predatory populations began to rise and more and more frogs fell victim to
their predators such as snakes. However, in some cases the habitat is perfectly
preserved and has nothing to do with the endangerment of the Chiricahua leopard
frog. Often at higher elevation, in seemly pristine habitats, the role of an
infectious disease has ravaged the leopard frog populations. The disease is known
as chytridiomycosis which is a fungal disease that hardens the skin of the frog
and limits them from breathing and absorbing water through their skin. In
addition to these threats, its believed that UV rays also negatively affect the
frog populations. 
Recovery Plan
The ultimate goal is to ensure that the frog population
reaches a level at which it will have sufficient habitat to provide for a long-term
life for future generations of frogs. The recovery plan will include predator
relocation, habitat resurrection, and research towards preventative measure for
diseases that affect frogs.
The northern and southern populations of the Chiricahua
leopard frog are listed as threatened on the endangered species list of 2002.
As a result of this both regions had a recovery plan established in 2003. This
recovery plan includes many techniques to better conserve the leopard frog in
the long term and short-term perspective. This plan is developed between these
two stages because the short term is meant to limit the decrease of the
populations while the long-term stage is meant to help the frog recover back to
the original populations.
What can you do?
It is imperative that people do not handle or remove the Chiricahua
leopard frog from their property if it is present. Understanding what type of
frog people are dealing with based off the physical description will help make
sure that the general public can identify and actively work to preserve the
species. If you as a resident think that there is a leopard frog on your
property contact one of the recovery team members of your
local State Game and Fish Office or a qualified biologist who is permitted by
the State and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to survey for Chiricahua leopard
frogs. If the frogs are identified as Chiricahua leopard frogs, we suggest you
contact a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who will be able to properly care for the species. If you find a frog pond on your property with
leopard frogs inhabiting it and the pond is nearly dried up, contact a local
recovery agency to ensure the safety of the important endangered Chiricahua
leopard frog.
“Date of Recovery: If recovery actions are promptly and
successfully implemented, and recovery criteria are met, we estimate that delisting
could be initiated by 2035" (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services 2007).
Resources
To find out more information check out any one of the links
below.
Work Cited
Pessier, Allan. “Amphibian Ark.” Chytrid Fungus,
Amphibian Chytrid Fungus Conventional PCR, www.amphibianark.org/the-crisis/chytrid-fungus/.
Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. “Rana Chiricahuensis.” Species
Profile for Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Lithobates Chiricahuensis),
ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=D02F.
“Lithobates Chiricahuensis .” Red List Guiding
Conservation, www.iucnredlist.org/details/58575/0.
“Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic
Revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data
Journal 4: e7720. Https://Doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720.” CHIRICAHUA
LEOPARD FROG. U.S. Wildlife and Fishing Services,
doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f.
Links to Pictures
P1 - http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/amphibians/Chiricahua_leopard_frog/index.html
P2 - https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3287
P3 - https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=D02F
P4 - https://tucsonherpsociety.org/inhabitants/chiricahua-leopard-frog/
P5 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chytridiomycosis
P6 - https://tucsonherpsociety.org/inhabitants/chiricahua-leopard-frog/
Since snakes are a big predator of these frogs, I wonder if any work is being done to decrease snake populations. -James Yates
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see that there weren’t more blogs written on amphibians, because I remember learning in class that amphibians are more at risk for extinction than other animals. It wasn’t surprising to see, however, that the Chiricahua leopard frog was endangered primarily because of habitat loss. Most of the blogs so far list habitat loss as the main cause for their species’ endangerment. I think the recovery plan of maintaining habitats for the Chiricahua leopard frog sounds promising and could work very well.
ReplyDelete-Kellie Williams
It's extremely reassuring to hear about an endangered species potentially being fully recovered by 2035. It sounds like creating more public awareness could really benefit humans and the frogs because humans would become way more cautious about removing the frogs from their property. -Hope Young
ReplyDeleteIt's alarming that 32% of all amphibians are global threatened. We should look into curing the disease that is attacking the frogs. I also like the the idea that if you find one of these frogs you should alert the recovery agency. -Chuck Wheaton
ReplyDeleteEven though it was nice to see that this species has a good chance of being recovered, it was surprising how many amphibians are threatened. I also wonder if anything is being done about the snake predators. -Max Tannenwald
ReplyDeleteI really hope the strategy of predator relocation works out. It's sad to know that the population of frogs in general is dwindling. -Morgan White
ReplyDeleteNick, awesome blog, the layout was easy to follow and read. I thought it was interesting how the boom in frog populations increased the presence of predators. This Leopard Frog is very cool looking, I hope that the recovery plan works! -Rick Taggesell
ReplyDeleteFind it fascinating how one disease can completely drive a species like Chiricahua Leapard Frog to the brink of extinction. Finding a cure to the chytridiomycosis fungal disease that was described in your recovery plan would be a major breakthrough for the species populations to bounce back. -Jason Wahlund
ReplyDeleteHow do you pronounce Chiricahua? Is it like Chihuahua? Hopefully its high chance for recovery is utilized, its a miracle that amphibians can prosper in the desert. Should we start re-flooding their drying out ponds? Good job! - AustiN WhaleY
ReplyDeleteIt was refreshing to read about a non-mammal. It seems that amphibians are generally overlooked, I hope their recovery plan works! - Emily White
ReplyDelete