Pig Frog

Taxobox
name = Pig Frog


image_width = 240px
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
trend = down
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Amphibia
ordo = Anura
familia = Ranidae
genus = "Rana"
species = "R. grylio"
binomial = "Rana grylio"
binomial_authority = Stejneger, 1901
synonyms =
"Lithobates grylio"

The Pig Frog ("Rana grylio"Hillis, D. M. 2007. Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42:331-338.] Hillis, D. M., and T. P. Wilcox. 2005. Phylogeny of the New World True Frigs ("Rana"). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 34:299-314.] ) is a species of aquatic frog found in the south-eastern United States, from the state of South Carolina to Texas. Some sources also refer to it as the Lagoon Frog or the Southern Bullfrog.

Physical description

The Pig Frog is green or grey-green in color, with brown or black blotching. They have fully webbed feet, a sharply pointed nose, and a large tympanum. They are easily mistaken for various other species of the genus "Rana" which they share geographic range with, including the Bullfrog ("Rana catesbeiana"). They grow to a length of 3.25 to 5.5 inches.

Ecology and behavior

Almost entirely aquatic, they are found predominantly on the edges of lakes, or in cypress swamps and marshes that are heavy with vegetation. They are nocturnal. Its pig-like grunt can be heard during the warm months of the year

Diet

Their primary diet is crayfish, but like most frogs, they will consume almost anything they can swallow, including insects, fish, snakes, and other frogs.

Reproduction

Breeding takes place from spring through to summer. Eggs are laid in large masses of up to 10,000 at a time on the surface of the water. This species gets its common name from the call that males use to attract females, which sounds somewhat like a pig's grunt.

Conservation status

Aside from the generalized decline in amphibian populations that has been documented over the last several decades, the Pig Frog holds no particular conservation status and is relatively common in its range. The species has been introduced and established itself in China, Andros Island and New Providence Island in the Bahamas, as well as Puerto Rico.

Footnotes

References

* [http://wwknapp.home.mindspring.com/docs/pig.frog.html Frogs & Toads of Georgia: Pig Frog]
* [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Rana_grylio.html Animal Diversity Web: "Rana grylio"]
* [http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/references.php?id=18416 Amphibian Species of the World: "Rana grylio"]
*IUCN2006|assessors=Hammerson "et al"|year=2004|id=58611|title=Rana grylio|downloaded=10 May 2006 Database entry includes a range map and a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
* (2005): Phylogeny of the New World true frogs ("Rana"). "Mol. Phylogenet. Evol." 34(2): 299–314. doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.007 [http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/215.pdf PDF fulltext] .
* (2007) Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. "Mol. Phylogenet. Evol." 42: 331–338.