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Showy leopard frog

species of Amphibia

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionOct 5, 2025
Entity authorityQ28036011 ↗
Source-derived summary

The showy leopard frog (Lithobates spectabilis) is a species of frog in the family Ranidae endemic to Mexico.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, freshwater lakes, and water storage areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.

References

Hillis, D.M., Frost, J.S.,& Wright, D.A. (1983): Phylogeny and biogeography of the Rana pipiens complex: A biochemical evaluation. Systematic Zoology 32: 132–143.

Hillis, D.M. & Frost, J.S. (1985): Three new species of leopard frogs (Rana pipiens complex) from the Mexican Plateau. Occ. Pap. Mus. Nat.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Showy leopard frog” is species of Amphibia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Showy, leopard and frog, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1983, 1985—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Showy, leopard and frog is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “species of Amphibia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 5, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q28036011. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1983 and 1985.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Showy leopard frog”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Showy leopard frog primary sources, Showy leopard frog archive and Showy research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Showy leopard frog”?
  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Showy leopard frog” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.