The gopher frog (''Lithobates capito'') is a species of
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
in the family
Ranidae,
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to the south-eastern United States. It primarily inhabits the threatened
sandhill
A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and bec ...
communities,
flatwoods, and
scrub in the Atlantic
coastal plain
A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Co ...
,
where it is usually found near ponds.
Subspecies
Its two subspecies include the Carolina gopher frog (''L. c. capito''), and Florida gopher frog (''L. c. aesopus''). The
dusky gopher frog ''(L. sevosus)'' had previously been considered a subspecies, but was elevated to species status in 2001.
Conservation status
Its primary threats include
loss of habitat
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
and
fire suppression
Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated ...
. It is entirely dependent upon small vernal pools for its annual reproduction.
[Richter, S. C., Young, J. E., Johnson, G. N., and Seigel, R. A. (2003). Stochastic variation in reproductive success of a rare frog, Rana sevosa: implications for conservation and for monitoring amphibian populations. Biological Conservation 111: 171–7.] These pools in pine
flatwoods are being lost to development, and to fire suppression, which allows forests to invade the natural savanna habitat. Hence,
prescribed burns and habitat acquisition are considered key management strategies for its survival.
Footnotes
References
* (1983): Phylogeny and biogeography of the ''Rana pipiens'' complex: A biochemical evaluation. ''Systematic Zoology' 32: 132–143.
* (1988): Systematics of the ''Rana pipiens'' complex: Puzzle and paradigm. ''Annual Review of Systematics and Ecology'' 19: 39–63.
* (2005): Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (''Rana''). ''
Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.'' 34(2): 299–314.
PDF fulltext
* (2007) Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. '' Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.'' 42: 331–338.
External links
Gopher Frogs, Burrows, and Fire: Interactions in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem- 2009 University of Florida Fact Sheet
*
Lithobates
Amphibians of North America
Amphibians described in 2006
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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