Gopher frog

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Species of amphibian

title: "Gopher frog" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lithobates", "amphibians-of-north-america", "amphibians-described-in-2006", "taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot", "taxa-named-by-john-eatton-le-conte"] description: "Species of amphibian" topic_path: "general/lithobates" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher_frog" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of amphibian ::

| image = Gopher frog (Rana capito) Madden Haag.jpg | image_caption = Gopher frog (Lithobates capito) | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref= | status2 = G2 | status2_system = TNC | status2_ref = | taxon = Lithobates capito | authority = Le Conte, 1855 | synonyms = * Rana capito LeConte, 1855

The gopher frog (Lithobates capito) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, endemic to the southeastern United States. It primarily inhabits the threatened sandhill communities, flatwoods, and scrub in the Atlantic coastal plain, 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), also known as the Mississippi gopher frog, had previously been considered a subspecies, but was elevated to species status in 2001.

Range

Gopher frogs occur along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States from southern North Carolina to peninsular Florida. The gopher frog's range extends west along the Gulf Coast to the Tombigbee River in Alabama. The Florida gopher frog is restricted to peninsular Florida. Today, gopher frogs' distribution is patchy, owing greatly to loss of longleaf pine forest communities.

Ecology

Within the flatwoods, xeric longleaf pine–turkey oak communities, sand pine scrub and oak hammocks they call home, gopher frogs move between mass breeding sites in ephemeral or semi-permanent wetlands and summer upland habitat. In these non-breeding times, gopher frogs frequently inhabit gopher tortoise burrows, as well as the tunnels of burrowing crayfish or rodents, or holes associated with felled longleaf pine trees as has been observed in North Carolina. Migration out of the breeding habitats typically occurs at night when it is raining, and frogs have been recorded moving up to 3.5 km into their summer refugia. While en route in migrations through mid-May, gopher frogs may be vulnerable to mortality associated with prescribed burns and predation.

Predation

In Florida, gopher frogs may be eaten by some growth stage of invasive snakes like Burmese pythons, reticulated pythons, Southern African rock pythons, Central African rock pythons, boa constrictors, yellow anacondas, Bolivian anacondas, dark-spotted anacondas, and green anacondas.

Conservation status

Gopher frogs' primary threats include loss of habitat and fire suppression. It is entirely dependent upon small vernal pools for its annual reproduction. 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

References

  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. (2022). "''Lithobates capito''".
  2. "''Lithobates capito''".
  3. Frost, Darrel. (2011). "American Museum of Natural History: Amphibian Species of the World 5.5, an Online Reference". The American Museum of Natural History.
  4. United States Geological Survey. "Rana capito".
  5. Georgia Museum of Natural History. "Gopher Frog (Rana capito)".
  6. Stephen C. Richter and Rebecca A. Doubledee. (2001). "Rana sevosa". AmphibiaWeb.
  7. (2012). "Long Distance Migrations, Landscape Use, and Vulnerability to Prescribed Fire of the Gopher Frog (''Lithobates capito'')". Journal of Herpetology.
  8. (January 2012). "Final Environmental Assessment For The Large Constrictor Snakes Listed As Injurious Wildlife under the Lacey Act". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  9. Richter S. C., Young J. E., Johnson G. N., 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.
  10. Florida Natural Areas Inventory. (2001). "Gopher Frog (Rana capito)". Field Guide to the Rare Animals of Florida.

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lithobatesamphibians-of-north-americaamphibians-described-in-2006taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbottaxa-named-by-john-eatton-le-conte