Rana pipiens Complex: Mating Call Structure and Taxonomy

Abstract

Geographic variability in call structure indicates that four largely allopatric populations of leopard frogs are present in the central United States. These forms appear to maintain their distinctness in narrow zones of sympatry, and most adult males can be separated morphologically. It is suggested that the four forms represent distinct species and that the idea of gradual clinal variability in one wide-ranging species is wrong.