The Lenca leopard frog (Lithobates lenca) is a species of true frog found in the Chortis Highlands of southwestern Honduras at altitudes of 1560 to 2080 m.[2][3] This frog was long thought to be a hybrid between the two lowland species Lithobates brownorum and Lithobates forreri until 2018 when DNA tests proved the highland leopard frogs to be a distinct species. They are smaller in size but have larger heads than the two lowland species, with males growing between 46.6–64.3 mm (1.83–2.53 in) while females grow between 43.7–76.3 mm (1.72–3 in).[4] The Lenca leopard frog is named after the Lenca people, who inhabit the same mountainous region as the frog.[5]
| Lenca leopard frog | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Ranidae |
| Genus: | Lithobates |
| Species: | L. lenca
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lithobates lenca (Luque-Montes et al., 2018)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Rana lenca Luque-Montes et al. 2018 | |
References
edit- ^ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Lithobates lenca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T143844904A176621696. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T143844904A176621696.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Luque-Montes, Austin, Weinfurther, Wilson, Hofmann, Townsend, Ileana,James D., Kayla D., Larry David, Erich P., Josiah H. (4 January 2018). "An integrative assessment of the taxonomic status of putative hybrid leopard frogs (Anura: Ranidae) from the Chortís Highlands of Central America, with description of a new species". Systematics and Biodiversity. 16 (4): 340–356. doi:10.1080/14772000.2017.1415232. S2CID 90564522 – via ResearchGate.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Lithobates lenca (Luque-Montes, Austin, Weinfurther, Wilson, Hofmann, and Townsend, 2018)". Amphibian Species of the World 6.0, an Online Reference.
- ^ Bauwens, Joe (2 March 2018). "Rana lenca: A new species of Leopard Frog from the central Honduran highlands". Sciency Thoughts.
- ^ "[Herpetology • 2018] Rana lenca • An Integrative Assessment of the Taxonomic Status of Putative Hybrid Leopard Frogs (Anura: Ranidae) from the Chortís Highlands of Central America, with Description of A New Species". Species New to Science. 15 January 2018.