THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Amphibia    Anura    Ranidae  

Relict Leopard Frog
Lithobates onca (Cope In Yarrow, 1875, in Wheeler (Editor))
LITH-oh-BAY-teez — ON-kah

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.09.21.53.11)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.65 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: Arizona Nevada Utah

Taxonomic Etymology:
Name referencing spotted or predatory appearance, now thought to be a relict species.
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.
onca — Latin for “jaguar.” Refers to the frog’s spotted appearance, likening it to a leopard or jaguar (Panthera onca). The name is a poetic allusion to its pattern.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Nevada Frog (Rana onca: 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.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
Amphibian Species of the World
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1875 Yarrow, Henry C. Report upon the collections of batrachians and reptiles made in portions of Nevada, Utah, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona during the years 1871, 1872, 1872, and 1874. Wheeler, G. M. ed., Report upon Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian in Charge of First Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Under the Direction of Brig. Gen. A. A. Humphryes, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army. Volume 5 (Zoology), Part. 4. US Government, Washington, D. C. 509-584pp.
1981 Honegger, Rene E. List of amphibians and reptiles either known or thought to have become extinct since 1600. Biological Conservation 19(1980-1981):141-158
1985 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.
1988 Jennings, Mark R. Rana onca Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (417):1-2
2001 Jaeger, Jef R., Brett R. Riddle, Randy D. Jennings, and David F. Bradford. Rediscovering Rana onca: Evidence for phylogenetically distinct leopard frogs from the border region of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Copeia 2001(2):339-354

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 15:52 CT