Lithobates montezumae (Baird, 1854)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Photo of Lithobates montezumae uploaded from iNaturalist.
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Open encyclopedia reference
The Montezuma leopard frog (Lithobates montezumae) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are pine-oak or oak forests above 2,000 m (6,600 ft) asl but it can also survive in moderately altered habitats. It breeds in lakes and big pools. It is potentially threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators. It is also collected for human consumption.
Wikipedia contributors, Montezuma leopard frog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T17:03:03.001711+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Lithobates montezumae (Baird, 1854)
- Name authority
- (Baird, 1854)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Ranidae
- Genus
- Lithobates
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyRanidae Batsch, 1796
- genusLithobates Fitzinger, 1843
- speciesLithobates montezumae (Baird, 1854)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Lithobates. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Crawfish FrogLithobates areolatus (Baird & Girard, 1852) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lithobates dunni (Zweifel, 1957) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Vegas Valley Leopard FrogLithobates fisheri (Stejneger, 1893) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lithobates lemosespinali (Smith & Chiszar, 2003) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lithobates lenca (Luque-Montes, Austin, Weinfurther, Wilson, Hofmann & Townsend, 2018) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lithobates macroglossa (Brocchi, 1877) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lithobates miadis (Barbour & Loveridge, 1929) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lithobates neovolcanicus (Hillis & Frost, 1985) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pickerel FrogLithobates palustris (LeConte, 1825) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lithobates pustulosus (Boulenger, 1883) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lithobates spectabilis (Hillis & Frost, 1985) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Leopard FrogLithobates sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886) | RanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Rana montezumae montezumae Baird, 1854 Baird, 1854 | synonym |
| Rana montezumae concolor Cope, 1887 Cope, 1887 | synonym |
| Rana adrita Troschel in Müller, 1865 Troschel in Müller, 1865 | synonym |
| Rana montezumae Baird, 1854 Baird, 1854 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=775101 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3VHQG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.