River Frog

About the River Frog

The river frog (Lithobates heckscheri) is a species of aquatic frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States. Its natural habitats are temperate rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Historically, the river frog has been known as Rana heckscheri but was placed in the genus Lithobates by Frost et al., 2006, this being a separate genus of ranid frogs that included most of the North American frogs traditionally included in the genus Rana. This change has proved controversial, and some authorities treat Lithobates as a subgenus of Rana, with the river frog's scientific name being written Rana (Lithobates) heckscheri.

The river frog is a very large species with adults commonly between 7 and 13 cm (3 and 5 in) in length. The skin is rough and wrinkled but there are no dorso-lateral ridges as there are in the green frog (Lithobates clamitans). The back is some shade of dark green or blackish-green and the belly is dark grey, or blackish with pale wavy lines and specks. A distinctive characteristic is white spots on the lips, particularly on the lower lip, and this helps to distinguish... Wikipedia →