{"id":80,"date":"2015-12-12T05:27:23","date_gmt":"2015-12-12T05:27:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/?page_id=80"},"modified":"2024-05-04T19:28:55","modified_gmt":"2024-05-04T19:28:55","slug":"southern-leopard-frog-lithobates-sphenocephalus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/amphibians\/frogs-and-toads-2\/southern-leopard-frog-lithobates-sphenocephalus\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Southern Leopard Frog (<em>Lithobates sphenocephalus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n<p>Alternate names: <em>Rana sphenocephala<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">by <a href=\"mailto:REPTILIA74@aol.com\">Jeff LeClere<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_390\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-390\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_1.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-390\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-390\" src=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_1.jpg\" alt=\"An adult southern leopard frog, Lithobates sphenocephalus, from Van Buren County, Iowa.\" width=\"400\" height=\"294\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_1.jpg 640w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_1-300x221.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_1-204x150.jpg 204w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_1-150x110.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-390\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A southern leopard frog, <em>Lithobates sphenocephalus<\/em>, from Van Buren County, Iowa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/btZNUtI15BI\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Southern leopard frogs, <em>Lithobates sphenocephalus<\/em>, calling.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><b><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">Status<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Species of Greatest Conservation Need. A valid fishing license is required to possess this species for bait or food. These frogs are uncommon and rather tough to distinguish from Iowa&#8217;s other leopard frog species. They are primarily found in southern Iowa. We would welcome any reports of this species.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\"><b>Description<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">The southern leopard frog is the most uncommon of the leopard frogs in Iowa. They may grow to 3 1\/2 inches body length. Southern leopard frogs are green or brown on top with a few round black spots scattered randomly about the back and on the sides, but none on the snout. The belly is plain white. There are two light complete dorsolateral ridges down the back. There are spots on the forelimbs and tiger stripes or bars on the hind legs. The groin and thighs have a greenish (very rarely yellowish) wash.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_392\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-392\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-392\" src=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Des-Moines_County_Iowa_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Des-Moines_County_Iowa_1.jpg 640w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Des-Moines_County_Iowa_1-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Des-Moines_County_Iowa_1-225x150.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Des-Moines_County_Iowa_1-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-392\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A southern leopard frog, <em>Lithobates sphenocephalus<\/em>, from Des Moines County, Iowa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">They differ from pickerel frogs by having round spots scattered randomly about the about the back, and a greenish wash on the thighs. Also pickerel frogs are found only in the trout streams of extreme eastern Iowa. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\"><b>Subspecies<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">One subspecies is found in Iowa, the Coastal Plains leopard frog, <em>Lithobates spenocephalus utricularius<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\"><b>Range<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">The southern leopard frog is found primarily in southeastern Iowa, but recent records show its range expanding into central Iowa.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_739\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-739\" style=\"width: 231px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-739\" src=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Rana_sphenocephala.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"146\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Range map for the southern leopard frog in Iowa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\"><b>Habitat<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">The southern leopard frog is found in all water types. Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, large and small wetlands, even homemade ponds. Leopard frogs move considerable distances from water, especially in wet grasslands or damp woodlands.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_391\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-391\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-391\" src=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_2.jpg 486w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_2-300x213.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_2-211x150.jpg 211w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Lithobates_sphenocephalus_Iowa_2-150x106.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-391\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A southern leopard frog, <em>Lithobates sphenocephalus<\/em>, juvenile, from Van Buren County, Iowa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\"><b>Habits<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Southern leopard frogs breed in March and April. Sometimes males call while underwater. They produce a chuckling call. Their call lacks the long snore heard in the call of northern leopard frogs. A single female may lay 3,000 to 5,000 eggs in a round mass. The females may all lay eggs in one portion of the pond. Tadpoles metamorphose in about three months. During rainy weather, (especially during spring or fall migrations) great numbers of leopard frogs are seen crossing the roadway, especially near wetlands. During the summer they may venture into backyards and move into outdoor ponds or swimming pools. When they move far from a body of water, they may absorb dew to keep them moist. They overwinter in deep water. This is the most uncommon of all the leopard frogs found in Iowa. They closely resemble northern leopard frogs in appearance and their call can be easily confused with the call of the plains leopard frog. Automobiles take their toll on these frogs and any medium or large sized carnivores prey upon them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\"><b>Food<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Southern leopard frogs consume insects, earthworms, and other invertebrates.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_393\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-393\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-393\" src=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/Amphibians\/Frogs\/Southern_leopard_frog_Appanoose_County_Iowa_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"286\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-393\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A southern leopard frog, <em>Lithobates sphenocephalus<\/em>, from Appanoose County, Iowa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1411\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1411\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1411 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Southern-leopard-frog-Des-Moines-County-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Southern-leopard-frog-Des-Moines-County-1.jpg 640w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Southern-leopard-frog-Des-Moines-County-1-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Southern-leopard-frog-Des-Moines-County-1-150x113.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Southern-leopard-frog-Des-Moines-County-1-200x150.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1411\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A southern leopard frog, <em>Lithobates sphenocephalus<\/em>, from Des Moines County, Iowa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/luM8i1H_KzA\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus) Alternate names: Rana sphenocephala by Jeff LeClere Southern leopard frogs, Lithobates sphenocephalus, calling. Status Species of Greatest Conservation Need. A valid fishing license is required to possess this species for bait or food. These frogs are uncommon and rather tough to distinguish from Iowa&#8217;s other leopard frog species. They are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":10,"menu_order":16,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1911,"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80\/revisions\/1911"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.herpnet.net\/Iowa-Herpetology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}