IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION: This species is only known from the eastern shore of Lago de las Minas, in the high desert of extreme eastern Puebla, Mexico. It may also occur in adjacent crater lakes but this has yet to be confirmed.

HABITAT: Habitat, main [...]]]> LAGO DE LAS MINAS LEOPARD FROG
Rana chichicuahutla – Cuellar, Méndez-De La Cruz, & Villagrán-Santa Cruz 1996

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:
This species is only known from the eastern shore of Lago de las Minas, in the high desert of extreme eastern Puebla, Mexico. It may also occur in adjacent crater lakes but this has yet to be confirmed.

HABITAT:

Habitat, main lake, 6,000′, Puebla, Mexico

Habitat, north lake, 6,000′, Puebla, Mexico

Habitat, north lake, 6,000′, Puebla, Mexico

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:
In the Rana berlandieri group as defined by Hillis, Frost and Wright (1983). Rana chichicuahutla is most closely related to R. spectabilis, R. neovolcanica and R. tlaloci.

TYPE:
Described as Rana chichicuahutla by Cuellar, Méndez-De La Cruz, and Villagrán-Santa Cruz (1996). Holotype: IBUNAM (unnumbered). Type locality: “Lago de Las Minas, about 6 Km SE San Jose Alchichica, Puebla, Mexico, elevation 2324 m”.

PERSONAL NOTES:
In June, 2005 I searched for this frog at “Lago de las Minas”, Puebla, Mexico. The locals said there are three lakes known by this name, all within a short distance of one-another. We searched the main Lago during daylight hours, and could find no frogs. A fisherman told us that at night there are frogs at the lake’s edge – we assumed he was referring to R. chichicuahutla. At the northern Lago de las Minas, we performed a nocturnal survey but again came up empty handed. This lake was fishless and appeared to be mineral-rich like Lago Alchichica. Our searches were by no means intensive, and in the 2006 field season I’ll again return to the main Lago de las Minas for a nocturnal survey to try and determine the status of this species.

CONSERVATION STATUS:
IUCN Red List Status for Rana chichicuahutla is currently listed as “Critically Endangered” due to an extremely limited range and small (possibly decreasing) population size. Ground water pumping in this arid region may also prove detrimental to this species. It is unknown whether introduced fish species are taking their toll on the only known population of R. chichicuahutla.

REFERENCES:

MEXICO CASCADE FROG Rana pustulosa – Boulenger 1883

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:

TYPE:

PERSONAL NOTES:

CONSERVATION STATUS:

REFERENCES:

NORTHWEST MEXICO LEOPARD FROG Rana magnaocularis – Frost & Bagnara 1976

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:

HABITAT: Seasonal Creek Habitat, 1,700′, Sonora, Mexico Pine-Forest Habitat, 6,500′, Chihuahua, Mexico

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:

TYPE:

PERSONAL NOTES:

CONSERVATION STATUS:

REFERENCES:

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:

TYPE:

PERSONAL NOTES:

CONSERVATION STATUS:

REFERENCES:

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:

TYPE:

PERSONAL NOTES:

CONSERVATION STATUS:

REFERENCES: Lips, K. R., J. R. Mendelson 3rd, A. Muñoz-Alonso, L. Canseco-Márquez and D. G. Mulcahy. 2004. Amphibian population declines in montane southern Mexico: resurveys of historical localities. Biological Conservation 119(2004):555-564.

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION: Historically known only from the Valle de Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico; recently found only in the channels at Xochimilco.

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY: In the Rana berlandieri group as defined by Hillis, Frost and Wright (1983).

TYPE: Described as Rana tlaloci by Hillis and Frost (1985). Holotype: KU 194434. Type locality: “Xochimilco, [...]]]> TLALOC’S FROG
Rana tlaloci – Hillis & Frost 1985

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:
Historically known only from the Valle de Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico; recently found only in the channels at Xochimilco.

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:
In the Rana berlandieri group as defined by Hillis, Frost and Wright (1983).

TYPE:
Described as Rana tlaloci by Hillis and Frost (1985). Holotype: KU 194434. Type locality: “Xochimilco, Distrito Federal, Mexico”.

PERSONAL NOTES:
Unfortunately, I have no personal experience with this species.

CONSERVATION STATUS:
IUCN Red List status for this species is currently “Critically Endangered” due to the highly fragmented and deteriorating habitat within this frog’s former range. It is thought to be extinct as of 1985. Hopefully a remnant population can be located and protected immediately.

REFERENCES:

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:

TYPE:

PERSONAL NOTES:

CONSERVATION STATUS:

REFERENCES:

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION: Rana megapoda is found primarily on the southern edge of the Mexico Plateau from southern Guanajuato and northern Michoacan west through Jalisco to southern Nayarit in the region just east of Tepic. Elevational distribution from 823 – 1,520 m.

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY: In the Rana montezumae group as defined by Hillis, [...]]]> BIG-FOOTED LEOPARD FROG
Rana megapoda – Taylor 1942

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:
Rana megapoda is found primarily on the southern edge of the Mexico Plateau from southern Guanajuato and northern Michoacan west through Jalisco to southern Nayarit in the region just east of Tepic. Elevational distribution from 823 – 1,520 m.

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:
In the Rana montezumae group as defined by Hillis, Frost and Wright (1983).

TYPE:
Described as Rana trilobata by Mocquard (1899); synonomized with Rana megapoda (described by Taylor in 1942) by Webb (1991), supressing trilobata in the favor of the name megapoda. Holotype: FMNH 100025. Type locality: “near Chapala, Jalisco”, Mexico.

PERSONAL NOTES:
I have seen this frog only once; in July, 2005 we saw several large R. megapoda in irrigation canals near Presa San Juanico, Michoacan while attempting to locate Kinosternon hirtipes magdalense (we found only Kinosternon integrum). The frogs were extremely wary, and would only surface if we hid along the canal edges and remained absolutely motionless while viewing them.

CONSERVATION STATUS:
IUCN Red List status for this species is currently “Vulnerable”, with observed population declines (estimated at around 30% over the last three generations). Principle threats to this frog are water pollution, human consumption, predation and competition with introduced species, and general habitat degradation.

REFERENCES:

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:

TYPE:

PERSONAL NOTES:

CONSERVATION STATUS:

REFERENCES:

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:

HABITAT:

NATURAL HISTORY:

TAXONOMY:

TYPE:

PERSONAL NOTES:

CONSERVATION STATUS:

REFERENCES: