{{Short description|Species of amphibian}} {{More footnotes needed|date=February 2015}} {{Speciesbox | name = Crawfish frog | image = Crawfish Frog (Rana areolata).jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. |year=2022 |title=''Lithobates areolatus'' |volume=2022 |article-number=e.T58546A118980891 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T58546A118980891.en |access-date=19 November 2022}}</ref> | status2 = G4 | status2_system = TNC | status2_ref = <ref>{{cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106291/Lithobates_areolatus |website=explorer.natureserve.org |access-date=17 October 2022}}</ref> | taxon = Lithobates areolatus | authority = (Baird & Girard, 1852) | synonyms = ''Rana circulosa'' <small>Rice & Davis, 1878</small><br/> ''Rana octoplicata'' <small>Werner, 1893</small><br/> ''Rana virescens areolata'' <small>Cole & Barbour, 1906</small><br/> ''Rana areolatus'' <ref>Hillis & Wilcox (2005)</ref><ref>Hillis, D. M. (2007)</ref><ref>Pauly et al. (2009)</ref><ref>Frost et al. (2006)</ref> }} The '''crawfish frog''' ('''''Lithobates areolatus''''')<ref name=frost>{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Anura/Ranidae/Lithobates/Lithobates-areolatus |title=''Lithobates areolatus'' (Baird and Girard, 1852) |author=Frost, Darrel R. |year=2014 |work=Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=1 February 2015}}</ref> is a medium-sized species of frog native to the prairies and grasslands of the central United States.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last1=Heemeyer |first1=Jennifer L. |last2=Williams |first2=Perry J. |last3=Lannoo |first3=Michael J. |date=2012-02-23 |title=Obligate crayfish burrow use and core habitat requirements of crawfish frogs |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |volume=76 |issue=5 |pages=1081–1091 |doi=10.1002/jwmg.357 |issn=0022-541X|doi-access=free |bibcode=2012JWMan..76.1081H }}</ref> It gets its name because it inhabits the burrows of crayfish for most of the year. They have defined golden or black circles all over their body.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hoffman |first1=Andrew S. |last2=Heemeyer |first2=Jennifer L. |last3=Williams |first3=Perry J. |last4=Robb |first4=Joseph R. |last5=Karns |first5=Daryl R. |last6=Kinney |first6=Vanessa C. |last7=Engbrecht |first7=Nathan J. |last8=Lannoo |first8=Michael J. |date=2010 |title=Strong Site Fidelity and a Variety of Imaging Techniques Reveal Around-the-Clock and Extended Activity Patterns in Crawfish Frogs (Lithobates areolatus) |journal=BioScience |volume=60 |issue=10 |pages=829–834 |doi=10.1525/bio.2010.60.10.9 |s2cid=86179196 |issn=1525-3244}}</ref>
== Description == The crawfish frog grows from 2.2 to 3.0 in (5.6 to 7.6 cm) in length.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Education |url=https://www2.illinois.gov:443/dnr/education/Pages/WAFTCrawfishFrog.aspx |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=www2.illinois.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> It ranges from yellow to brown in color, with a white ventral surface. The numerous dark brown spots on the back of ''L. areolatus'' each has a light-colored ring around it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crawfish Frog – INHS Herpetology Collection |url=https://herpetology.inhs.illinois.edu/species-lists/ilspecies/crawfish-frog/ |access-date=2022-09-23 |language=en-US}}</ref> It has a distinct skin fold on either side of its back, which are much more pronounced in males than females, and a relatively small tympanum.<ref name=":02" />
== Behavior == Crawfish frogs are found primarily in association with prairie or grassland habitat, though they will also make use of pastures and overgrown fields.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Busby |first1=William H. |last2=Brecheisen |first2=William R. |date=1997 |title=Chorusing Phenology and Habitat Associations of the Crawfish Frog, Rana areolata (Anura: Ranidae), in Kansas |journal=The Southwestern Naturalist |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=210–217 |jstor=30055263 |issn=0038-4909}}</ref> This species spends most of the year in association with a terrestrial crayfish burrow.<ref name=":22"/> ''Lithobates areolatus'' spends a substantial amount of time active and above ground even on hot summer days, but they never stray far from their burrow which serves as an important retreat from predators, a vital source of water, an escape from grassland fires, and a means to get below the frost line during winter.<ref name=":22"/> Crawfish frogs feed opportunistically on insects and other small invertebrates that pass by their burrow.<ref name=":0" />
The crawfish frog breeds following mild, rainy weather in mid-March throughout most of its range (breeding occurs much earlier in the southern portion of its distribution).<ref name=":1" /> During this time, males seek out ephemeral ponds and wetlands that lack fish and begin calling.<ref name=":1" /> The low-frequency call may carry over a mile, drawing females in from the surrounding area.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Lannoo |first1=Michael J. |last2=Stiles |first2=Rochelle M. |date=2020-03-16 |title=The Call of the Crawfish Frog |doi=10.1201/9780429343278|isbn=978-0-429-34327-8 |s2cid=216173648 }}</ref> Once the females arrive, amplexus is likely to take place<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kinney |first1=Vanessa C. |last2=Heemeyer |first2=Jennifer L. |last3=Pessier |first3=Allan P. |last4=Lannoo |first4=Michael J. |date=2011-03-10 |title=Seasonal Pattern of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection and Mortality in Lithobates areolatus: Affirmation of Vredenburg's "10,000 Zoospore Rule" |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=3 |article-number=e16708 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0016708 |pmid=21423745 |pmc=3053364 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...616708K |issn=1932-6203|doi-access=free }}</ref> and the females deposit up to 7,000 eggs at a time in large, globular masses.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lannoo |first1=Michael J. |last2=Stiles |first2=Rochelle M. |date=2017 |title=Effects of Short-term Climate Variation on a Long-lived Frog |journal=Copeia |volume=105 |issue=4 |pages=726–733 |doi=10.1643/ch-16-449 |s2cid=90837615 |issn=0045-8511}}</ref> The eggs hatch in an average of 12 days, and the tadpoles metamorphose into froglets within three or four months.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Parris |first1=Matthew J. |last2=Semlitsch |first2=Raymond D. |date=1998-08-10 |title=Asymmetric competition in larval amphibian communities: conservation implications for the northern crawfish frog, Rana areolata circulosa |journal=Oecologia |volume=116 |issue=1–2 |pages=219–226 |doi=10.1007/pl00013822 |pmid=28308529 |bibcode=1998Oecol.116..219P |s2cid=21277102 |issn=0029-8549}}</ref> The newly metamorphosed juvenile frogs must quickly seek out a crayfish burrow to occupy to avoid predation.<ref name=":22"/> Crawfish frogs become sexually mature at two to three years of age and may live up to seven years or more in the wild. Adult crawfish frogs exhibit burrow fidelity and will use the same burrow for consecutive years.
== Geographic range == thumb|Northern crawfish frog, ''L. a. circulosus'' The crawfish frog is found in portions of central and southern United States,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=Perry J. |last2=Robb |first2=Joseph R. |last3=Karns |first3=Daryl R. |date=2012 |title=Habitat Selection by Crawfish Frogs (''Lithobates areolatus'') in a Large Mixed Grassland/Forest Habitat |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=682–688 |doi=10.1670/11-144 |s2cid=85658436 |issn=0022-1511}}</ref> from Indiana west to Kansas, south to Texas, and east to Alabama. This species is largely associated with former prairie regions where crawfish burrows are found, but with the effects of habitat loss along with urbanization, many populations have been extirpated.<ref name=":32">{{Cite journal |last1=Lannoo |first1=Michael J. |last2=Stiles |first2=Rochelle M. |last3=Sisson |first3=Michael A. |last4=Swan |first4=Jonathan W. |last5=Terrell |first5=Vanessa C. K. |last6=Robinson |first6=Kelly E. |date=2017 |title=Patch Dynamics Inform Management Decisions in a Threatened Frog Species |journal=Copeia |volume=105 |issue=1 |pages=53–63 |doi=10.1643/ch-16-499 |issn=0045-8511|doi-access=free }}</ref>
During the early 2000s, a sizable and geographically disjunct crawfish frog population was discovered at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Indiana. In 2016 a sizable population was documented in Sumter County, Alabama.<ref name=":0">{{cite news| last=Pillion | first=Dennis | date=2016-03-17 | title=New frog species found in Alabama makes state second froggiest in the nation |url=http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/03/new_frog_species_found_in_alab.html |newspaper=al.com |access-date=2016-03-17 }}</ref>
A new county record was added in 2017 in Perry County, Arkansas within the Ouachita Mountains. See Notes below.
== Conservation status == The crawfish frog is listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and is listed as endangered in Iowa (where it has likely been extirpated) and Indiana.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Engbrecht |first1=Nathan |last2=Lannoo |first2=Michael |date=2010 |title=A REVIEW OF THE STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF CRAWFISH FROGS (LITHOBATES AREOLATUS) IN INDIANA |journal=Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science |pages=64–73}}</ref> According to the IUCN Red List, habitat loss is the biggest threat to this species, though disease (chytridiomycosis) and competitive pressure from other anurans have also been identified as potential stresses.<ref name=IUCN/>
Conservation efforts are focused on protecting ''L. areolatus'' habitat. Crawfish frogs can travel more than 1 km between their primary burrow and breeding ponds during the breeding season,<ref name=":22"/> indicating that protected regions should be large enough to encompass the migratory distances covered during breeding season.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Nunziata |first1=Schyler O. |last2=Lannoo |first2=Michael J. |last3=Robb |first3=Joseph R. |last4=Karns |first4=Daryl R. |last5=Lance |first5=Stacey L. |last6=Richter |first6=Stephen C. |date=2013 |title=Population and Conservation Genetics of Crawfish Frogs,''Lithobates areolatus'', at Their Northeastern Range Limit |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=361–368 |doi=10.1670/12-034 |s2cid=49699083 |issn=0022-1511}}</ref> Within these protected areas, mowing and heavy vehicle use should be limited during the warm season when frogs are active. Tilling practices are thought to be an acute threat to crawfish frogs due to the destruction of burrows; thus disking and plowing should be reduced or avoided entirely in areas occupied by the species.<ref name=":32"/> Additional conservation strategies include genetic management.<ref name=":4" /> This method of conservation is unlikely to take place until crawfish frog populations decrease significantly. If genetic management is required, recent studies have shown that genetic diversity within ''L. areolatus'' populations is strong and should be enough to maintain fitness.<ref name=":4" />
== Subspecies ==
The two subspecies of crawfish frog (''L. areolatus'') are:
*Southern crawfish frog, ''L. a. areolatus'' (Baird & Girard, 1852) *Northern crawfish frog, ''L. a. circulosus'' (Davis and Rice, 1883)
== Notes == LITHOBATES AREOLATUS CIRCULOSUS (Northern Crawfish Frog). USA: ARKANSAS: Perry Co.: Off Cherry Hill Loop Rd. (Co. Rd. 42), ca. 1.6 km S of St. Hwy 60 (34.967367ºN, 92.939558ºW; WGS 84, elev. 96.93 m) 23 February 2017. Anthony Holt. Verified by Christopher S. Thigpen. Arkansas State University Museum of Zoology (ASUMZ 33611). Calling adult male collected by hand from a tractor tire rut in a cattle pasture. New county record (Trauth et al. 2004. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 421 pp.). Adds an additional record within the Fourche Mountain subdivision of the Ouachita Mountains.
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== {{Wikispecies|Lithobates areolatus circulosa}} {{Wikispecies|Lithobates areolatus areolatus}} {{Wikispecies|Rana areolatus}} *[http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?stat=BROWSE&query_src=photos_fauna_sci-Amphibian&where-lifeform=Amphibian&where-taxon=Rana+areolata&title_tag=Rana+areolata Rana areolata] at CalPhotos
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Category:Lithobates Category:Endemic amphibians of the United States Category:Amphibians described in 1852 Category:Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird