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--Boundary_(ID_EoOo5sHWufLDZjUYEBMYJw)
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Steve & Randy & Chris et al.,
Check out the N.S. Herpatlas home page at
http://landscape.acadiau.ca//herpatlas
[Nova Scotia Herpetofaunal Atlas Project ("herpatlas")] -- see
links to species names and identification tips and photos and calls
etc. etc.
P.S. Randy's "ribbit" fits only the Pacific Treefrog, thus is
humorous but out of place here.
Steve's comments on the Northern Leopard Frog are interesting -- I
have no up-to-date information, but I believe the cause of the
decline which started or happened a decade or two ago is still
unknown, and very unlikely to involve the chytrid fungus that infects
amphibians' skin all over the world now, including western Canada and
western states.
Here is some quoted information from "Reptiles and Amphibians of
Canada" by Chris Fisher, Amanda Joynt, & Ronald J. Brooks -- 2007,
Lone Pine Publishing:
"During the mid- to late 1970s, [the Northern Leopard Frog]
experienced localized extinctions that were more extreme and
widespread as one went west from Ontario. The reasons for the
decline remain simply guesses. In some areas populations have
recovered, but elsewhere, especially in British Columbia, [it] has
not recovered. Although some amphibians are well known to be in
decline, it is alarming that one of the most conspicuous frogs in
Canada should also be in decline, particularly because there is no
explanation for it."
The ground colour of N.S. Leopard Frogs is quite variable but usually
a fairly bright green, with brownish much less common -- latter
colour or grayish is more common in Pickerel Frog.
Back on the Green vs. Bull Frogs, another species for confusion is
the Mink Frog, which is sometimes difficult to tell from the Green
Frog -- see tips in field guides or herpatlas site re colour and
broken dorsolateral ridges and calls like "cut,cut,cut...".
I'm forwarding to John Gilhen and Fred Scott for possible comments.
Cheers from Jim
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Randy Lauff <randy.lauff@gmail.com>
> Date: July 28, 2008 5:02:19 PM ADT
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Frog over-population?
> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>
> Steve,
>
> The Green Frog is Rana clamitans (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
> Image:Green_Frog_Rana_clamitans_2448px.jpg). It is relatively
> common (up my way anyway) and is easily localized by its banjo-like
> call. The Green Frog is more aquatic than the Leopard Frog, which I
> routinely find on land.
>
> Ribbit!
>
>
> 2008/7/28 Stephen Shaw <srshaw@dal.ca>
> OK but what's a "green frog"?
> I think this nomenclature started on this current thread with Jim,
> but as a
> resident alien species (me not the frog), I'd not heard that name
> before. Do
> you mean the usually-named Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens),
> aka meadow or
> grass frog, or is Green Frog a different species? If it is the
> same species
> (R. pipiens), is Green Frog a colloquial name restricted to the
> Maritimes? On
> the appropriateness of the name if it is the same as R. pipiens,
> the base
> colour (on which there are usually spots superimposed) often is not
> green but
> light brown, as someone else remarked earlier.
>
> On the original question of overpopulation, R. pipiens has almost
> disappeared in
> western Canada (BC and AB) since the 70s, but seems not to be
> threatened in
> central Canada; not sure about the Maritimes. The cause of western
> decline in
> this particular species seems uncertain from the little I've read.
> Maybe also
> a chytrid (spelling?) problem spread originally from clawed frog
> Xenopus to
> other amphibians, or else a debilitating trematode parasite? Does
> anyone on
> NNS have specialist info on the cause of decline for this species,
> as opposed
> to that for amphibians generally, worldwide?
> Steve
>
> Randy
> 'gonish.
--Boundary_(ID_EoOo5sHWufLDZjUYEBMYJw)
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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
Steve & Randy & Chris et al.,=A0<div><br></div><div>Check out =
the N.S. Herpatlas home page at</div><div><br></div><div>=A0<a =
href=3D"http://landscape.acadiau.ca//herpatlas">http://landscape.acadiau.c=
a//herpatlas</a>=A0</div><div><br></div><div>=A0[Nova Scotia =
Herpetofaunal Atlas Project ("herpatlas")] -- see links to species names =
and identification tips and photos and calls etc. =
etc.</div><div><br></div><div>P.S. Randy's "ribbit" fits only the =
Pacific Treefrog, thus is humorous but out of place here. =
=A0</div><div><br></div><div>Steve's comments on the Northern Leopard =
Frog are interesting -- I have no up-to-date information, but I believe =
the cause of the decline which started or happened a decade or two ago =
is still unknown, and very unlikely to involve the chytrid fungus that =
infects amphibians' skin all over the world now, including western =
Canada and western states.=A0</div><div><br></div><div>Here is some =
quoted information from "Reptiles and Amphibians of Canada" by Chris =
Fisher, Amanda Joynt, & Ronald J. Brooks -- 2007, Lone Pine =
Publishing:</div><div><br></div><div>"During the mid- to late 1970s, =
[the Northern Leopard Frog] experienced localized extinctions that were =
more extreme and widespread as one went west from Ontario. =A0The =
reasons for the decline remain simply guesses. =A0In some areas =
populations have recovered, but elsewhere, especially in British =
Columbia, [it] has not recovered. =A0Although some amphibians are well =
known to be in decline, it is alarming that one of the most conspicuous =
frogs in Canada should also be in decline, particularly because there is =
no explanation for it."=A0</div><div><br></div><div>The ground colour of =
N.S. Leopard Frogs is quite variable but usually a fairly bright green, =
with brownish much less common -- latter colour or grayish is more =
common in Pickerel Frog. =A0</div><div><br></div><div>Back on the Green =
vs. Bull Frogs, another species for confusion is the Mink Frog, which is =
sometimes difficult to tell from the Green Frog -- see tips in field =
guid