About Lithobates blairi (Mecham, Littlejohn, Oldham, Brown & Brown, 1973)
Size and Base Coloration
The plains leopard frog (Lithobates blairi) reaches a length of 2.0 to 4.3 inches (5.1 to 10.9 cm), and is typically brown in color. Its common name comes from the distinctive irregular dark spots on its back.
Locomotion Adaptation
This frog has long, powerful legs that allow it to leap great distances.
Dorsal Spot Details
Its spots are brown or greenish brown, and do not have white rings around them. A distinct white line runs above the sides of its jaw.
Dorsolateral Ridge Features
The lines running along the sides of the back are broken toward the rear, with the short broken section located closer to the center of the back.
Head Markings
The frog often has a white spot in the center of its tympanum, and a dark spot on the tip of its snout.
General Distribution
As its common name suggests, the plains leopard frog is distributed across the Great Plains of the United States.
Core Range Extent
Its range extends from Indiana west across the central and southern plains to South Dakota, and south to Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.
Disjunct Population
There is also a separate disjunct population in Arizona.
