Life History of the Wood Frog, 



Rana sylvatica LeConte (Amphibia: Ranidae), 



in Alabama 



Mark S. Davis 1 and George W. Folkerts 



Department of Zoology- Entomology, 

 Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849 



ABSTRACT. — A life history study of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica 

 LeConte, was conducted from February 1978 to January 1980. All 

 populations studied were in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont physiogra- 

 phic provinces of Alabama, mostly in semideciduous forests along the 

 flood plains of major streams. Breeding activity occured from mid- 

 January to late February and coincided with the onset of warm winter 

 rains. Most breeding occurred in semipermanent woodland pools. 

 Ambystoma opacum and A. maculatum were consistent breeding 

 associates. Usually present were Notophthalmus viridescens, Hyla cru- 

 cifer, Pseudacris triseriata, P. brachyphona, and Rana sphenocephala. 

 Mean clutch size in R. sylvatica was 496. Diameters of eggs and jelly 

 envelopes are the largest reported for this species. Analysis of stomach 

 contents indicated that adult frogs are opportunistic terrestrial feeders, 

 but they apparently do not feed during the short, explosive breeding 



The wood frog, Rana sylvatica LeConte, is a small to medium-sized 

 ranid frog with an extensive geographic range. Martof and Humphries 

 (1959) reported its range as extending over approximately 4,044,000 

 square miles (more than 10,000,000 km 2 ) from Alaska to Georgia. This 

 range is exceeded in North America only by that of the Rana pipiens 

 complex, which actually consists of several species. Its broad distribu- 

 tion and the relative abundance of R. sylvatica over most of its range 

 have prompted considerable research. Most information concerning its 

 life history appears as scattered notes in general references, in papers 

 presenting distributional information or ecology, in studies on amphi- 

 bian community structure or reproductive behavior, and in accounts in 

 various state herpetological publications. 



Rana sylvatica was first discovered in Alabama in 1974 (Mount 

 1975). Its presence was documented by three specimens from Mt. 

 Cheaha, Cleburne County, in the east central part of the state. Prior to 

 Mount's record, the southernmost locality for R. sylvatica was thought 



1 Present address: Division of Biological Sciences, 110 Tucker Hall, University 

 of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 6521 1. 



Brimleyana No. 12:29-50, September 1986 29 



