Anura Rana areolata -- Crawfish Frog
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Anura Rana areolata -- Crawfish Frog |
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Search for another IL amphibian or reptile Search for IL amphibians & reptiles by county Go to the INHS Amphibian & Reptile Collection homepage Search the INHS collections data for amphibians & reptiles Search the INHS Type Specimen Data for amphibians & reptiles |  
Purple shade indicates vouchered specimens. Light blue (cyan)
shade indicates photographic records. Yellow shade indicates verified
sighting. |
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Key Characters: Large head; mottled upper jaws; distinctively humped lower back when at rest; dark spots on back crowded together and encircled by light borders. Similar Species: Northern leopard frog, pickerel frog, plains leopard frog, southern leopard frog. Subspecies: Northern crawfish frog, R. a. circulosa. Description: Large (6.6-11 cm SVL) spotted frog with dorsolateral fold along each side of body. Entire belly unspotted white. Snout cone-shaped. Male has paired vocal pouches, at corners of jaw, and enlarged thumbs used for holding onto female during amplexus. Habitat: Prairies, woodlands, and brushy fields in hardpan clay soils in low, wet areas. Common breeding sites include flooded fields, fish-free farm ponds, and small lakes in pastures or on golf courses. Natural History: Lives underground most of year in mammal burrows, storm drains, and abandoned crayfish burrows. Known to eat crayfish and small amphibians and reptiles, mostly at burrow entrances. Adults breed in pools during March-April, sometimes in large numbers. Breeding call is a loud, deep snore. Female lays 3,000-7,000 eggs. Tadpoles transform in midsummer. Status: Formerly widespread in southern half of state. Uncommon and declining in some areas where breeding habitats have been drained or stocked with predatory fishes (see distribution map, above). |
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