American Bullfrog (Reptiles of Fort Bowie NHS)

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Summary ⁵

The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is an aquatic frog, a member of the family Ranidae, or “true frogs”. This species has traditionally been classified as Rana catesbeiana, however the classification has been changed to Lithobates due to paraphyly in Ranidae. This frog has an olive green back and sides blotched with brownish markings and a whitish belly spotted with yellow or grey. The upper...

Geographic range ⁶

North American bullfrogs (Rana_catesbeiana) are only native to the Nearctic region. They are found from Nova Scotia to central Florida, from the East coast to Wisconsin, and across the Great Plains to the Rockies. The natural western limits of this species are now confused due to their introduction into places as far west as California and Mexico. It is known that bullfrogs were introduced to areas of California and Colorado in the early 1900's. The species has also been introduced (accidentally or on purpose) into southern Europe, South America, and Asia.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Introduced ); oriental (Introduced ); neotropical (Introduced )