Leptodactylus latrans explained

Leptodactylus latrans is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae.^[1] It is native to much of South America east of the Andes, and Trinidad and Tobago. It has many common names, including rana criolla, sapo-rana llanero,^[2] butter frog, and lesser foam frog.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

This is a common species in many parts of its range. It can be found in a variety of habitat types, including swamps, savannah, grasslands, and tropical forest ecosystems.^[2] It tolerates disturbed habitat and can be seen in gardens and urban areas.^[2] It breeds in temporary water bodies, such as ponds and floodplains, where it creates a foam nest for its eggs.^[2] In some cases, one parent, usually a female, guards the tadpoles and attacks potential predators.^[4]

Taxonomy

This taxon is considered to be a species complex, or a component of one, and taxonomic studies may distinguish several different species among its populations.^[5]

Further reading

• Bogart, J. P. (1974). A karyosystematic study of frogs in the genus Leptodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae). Copeia, (3), 728–737.
• Heyer, W. R. (1969). The adaptive ecology of the species groups of the Genus Leptodactylus (Amphibia, Leptodactylidae). Evolution, 23, 421–428.
• Prado, C. P. de A., Uetanabaro, M., Haddad, C F. B. (2002). Description of a new reproductive mode in Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae), with a review of the reproductive specialization towards terrestriality in the genus. Copeia, 2002(4), 221–245.

Notes and References

1. Lavilla, Langone, Caramaschi, Heyer & de Sá (2010). The identification of Rana ocellata Linnaeus, 1758. Nomenclatural impact on the species currently known as Leptodactylus ocellatus (Leptodactylidae) and Osteopilus brunneus (Gosse, 1851) (Hylidae). Zootaxa 2346: 1–16
2. Heyer, R., et al. 2010. Leptodactylus latrans. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
3. http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Anura/Leptodactylidae/Leptodactylinae/Leptodactylus/Leptodactylus-latrans Leptodactylus latrans.
4. Book: Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles . 4th . Laurie J. . Vitt . Janalee P. . Caldwell . Academic Press . 2014 . 175.
5. Heyer, W. R. (2013). Morphological analyses of frogs of the Leptodactylus latrans complex (Amphibia, Leptodactylidae) from selected localities in South America. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington: January 2014, Vol. 126(4) 369-78.