Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog
Lithobates kauffeldi
(Feinberg, Newman, Watkins-Colwell, Schlesinger, Zarate, Curry, Shaffer, and Burger, 2014)
LITH-oh-BAY-teez — KAW-feld-eye
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
The recognition of this species may require revision of the range of L. palustris to exclude areas of southern New York, southern Connecticut, Rhode Island, and parts of Massachusetts.
(Mendelson, Joseph R., III, Darrel R. Frost, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, and Maureen A. Donnelly. 2025. Anura – Frogs. Pages 1-9 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.09.21.41.43)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.1 MB
Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for a herpetologist who championed its recognition.
Lithobates — From Greek lithos (λίθος), “stone,” and bates (βάτης), “one who walks or treads.” The name can be interpreted as “rock-walker,” possibly referencing the terrestrial habits of many species in the genus.
kauffeldi — A patronym honoring Carl F. Kauffeld (1911–1974), a well-known herpetologist, author, and zookeeper who long suspected the existence of a distinct, unrecognized leopard frog in the New York–New Jersey area.
First instance(s) of published English names:
Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens pipiens: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); Shad Frog (Rana pipiens pipiens: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); Meadow Frog (Rana pipiens pipiens: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); Common Frog (Rana pipiens pipiens: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); Spotted Green Frog (Rana pipiens pipiens: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.); Herring-hoppers (Rana pipiens pipiens: Wright, Anna Allen, and Alex Hazen Wright. 1933. Handbook of frogs and toads. The frogs and toads of the United States and Canada Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, NY. xi+231pp.);
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
Amphibian Species of the World
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1985
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Hillis, David M. Evolutionary genetics and systematics of New World frogs of the genus Rana: An analysis of ribosomal DNA, allozymes, and morphology. Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence. pp.
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2014
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Feinberg, Jeremy A., Catherine E. Newman, Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell, Matthew D. Schlesinger, Brian Zarate, Brian R. Curry, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Joanna Burger. Cryptic diversity in metropolis: Confirmation of a new Leopard Frog species (Anura: Ranidae) from New York City and surrounding Atlantic Coast regions. PLoS One 9(10):1-15
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