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Lithobates grylio

(Stejneger, 1901)

Pig Frog

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102371
Element CodeAAABH01110
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAmphibia
OrderAnura
FamilyRanidae
GenusLithobates
Synonyms
Aquarana grylio(Stejneger, 1901)Rana grylioStejneger, 1901
Other Common Names
American Pigfrog (EN) pig frog (EN)
Concept Reference
Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Transferred to the genus Aquarana (Dubois et al. 2021).
Conservation Status
Review Date2002-04-12
Change Date2001-11-21
Edition Date2002-04-12
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
Southern South Carolina to southern Florida, west to southeastern Texas (Conant and Collins 1991). Introduced on Great Bahama Bank (Schwartz and Henderson 1991). Introduced and well established in northern Puerto Rico (Rios-Lopez and Joglar 2000).
Occurrences Comments
Represented by many and/or large occurrences throughout most of the range.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Permanent lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and streams; especially those with abundant emergent or floating herbaceous vegetation; old rice fields and rice field reservoirs. Occurs in mangroves in the Bahamas (Schwartz and Henderson 1991). Eggs and larvae develop in permanent bodies of water. In South Carolina, males moved from cypress-hardwood zone to grass-herb zone 40-50 m from shore during breeding period; females in grass-herb zone were ready to ovulate (Lamb 1984). When calling, males float in water.

Reproduction

Lays clutch of up to about 10,000 eggs, March-September (gravid females found April-July in South Carolina). Eggs hatch in several days. Aquatic larval stage lasts 1-2 years.
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLAND
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
GeorgiaS5Yes
FloridaS5Yes
LouisianaS5Yes
MississippiS5Yes
AlabamaS4Yes
TexasS3Yes
South CarolinaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial development——High (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areas——High (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areas——High (continuing)
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areas——High (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridors——High (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroads——High (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (3)
Florida (3)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Clear LakeApalachicola National Forest5,592
PinhookOsceola National Forest15,405
References (21)
  1. Altig, R. and Lohoefener, R. 1982. <i>Rana grylio</i>. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. 286:1-2.
  2. Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999a. A field guide to Texas reptiles &amp; amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xviii + 331 pp.
  3. Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999b. A field guide to Florida reptiles and amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xvi + 278 pp.
  4. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  5. Blackburn, L., P. Nanjappa, and M. J. Lannoo. 2001. An Atlas of the Distribution of U.S. Amphibians. Copyright, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA.
  6. Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 450 pp.
  7. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  8. Dubois, A., A. Ohler, and R. A. Pyron. 2021. New concepts and methods for phylogenetic taxonomy and nomenclature in zoology, exemplified by a new ranked cladonomy of recent amphibians (Lissamphibia). Megataxa 5:1-738.
  9. Frost, D. R. 1985. Amphibian species of the world. A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen Press, Inc., and The Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas. v + 732 pp.
  10. Frost, D. R. 2010. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.4 (8 April 2010). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.
  11. Frost, D.R. 2020. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Online: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html
  12. Hedges, S.B. 1993. Global amphibian declines: a perspective from the Caribbean. Biodiversity and Conservation. 2:290-303.
  13. Hedges, S.B. 1999. Distribution of amphibians in the West Indies. Patterns of Distribution of Amphibians. A Global Perspective. Duellman, W.E.,editor. The Johns Hopkins Press. Baltimore, Maryland.
  14. Hedges, S.B. 2001. Caribherp: database of West Indian amphibians and reptiles (http://www.caribherp.net). Pennsylvania State University. University Park, PA.
  15. Hedges, S. B., R. Powell, R. W. Henderson, S. Hanson, and J. C. Murphy. 2019. Definition of the Caribbean Islands biogeographic region, with checklist and recommendations for standardized common names of amphibians and reptiles. Caribbean Herpetology 67: 1-53.
  16. Lamb, T. 1984. The influence of sex and breeding condition on microhabitat selection and diet in the pig frog <i>Rana grylio</i>. Am. Midl. Nat. 111:311-318.
  17. Martof, B. S., W. M. Palmer, J. R. Bailey, and J. R. Harrison, III. 1980. Amphibians and reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 264 pp.
  18. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  19. Rios-Lopez, N., and R. L. Joglar. 2000. Geographic distribuion. <i>Rana grylio</i>. Herpetological Review 31:50-51.
  20. Rios, N. and Joglar, R.L. 1999. Rana grylio (Pig frog) in Puerto Rico. Herpetological Review. 30:231-232.
  21. Schwartz, A., and R. W. Henderson. 1991. Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida. xvi + 720 pp.