Lithobates virgatipes
(Cope, 1891)
LITH-oh-BAY-teez — ver-GAY-tih-pez
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
Data provided by Pytel (1986, Herpetologica 42: 273–282) suggest that careful evaluation for cryptic species is warranted.
(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: 2023.04.09.21.53.11)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.24 MB
Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its striped foot pattern.
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.
virgatipes — From Latin virga, “stripe” or “rod,” and pes/pedis, “foot.” The name means “striped-footed,” referring to the markings on the legs or feet.
First instance(s) of published English names:
Carpenter Frog (Rana virgatipes: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
Amphibian Species of the World
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1891
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Cope, Edward D. A new species of frog from New Jersey. American Naturalist 25:1017–1019
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1968
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Gosner, Kenneth L. and Black, Irving H. Rana virgatipes. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (67):1-2
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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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2003
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Austin, James D., Stephen C. Lougheed, Paul E. Moler, and Peter T. Boag. Phylogenetics, zoogeography, and the role of dispersal and vicariance in the evolution of the Rana catesbeiana (Anura: Ranidae) species group. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 80:601-624
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2022
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MacGuigan, Daniel J., Genevieve G. Mount, Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell, Thomas J. Near, and Max R. Lambert. Genomic data clarify Aquarana systematics and reveal isolation-by-distance
dominates phylogeography of the wide-ranging frog Rana clamitans. Ichthyology & Herpetology 110(3):602-617
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