IDENTIFYING LOWLAND LEOPARD FROGS (LITHOBATES YAVAPAIENSIS) USING IN SITU PHOTOGRAPHY

Abstract

Lowland leopard frogs (Lithobates yavapaiensis) are endemic to Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, and Chihuahua. Due to conservation concerns about this species and potential risk of injury, stress, and spread of disease during research efforts, in situ photography could provide an alternative for identifying individuals without capturing and handling frogs. I administered 25 pairs of photographs to 35 participants and asked them to determine if the frogs in the photograph were the same individual. I also asked them to gauge the degree of confidence they had in each response, as well as questions about themselves, including their experience observing wildlife in general and lowland leopard frogs in particular, and whether they enjoyed puzzles. Participants identified matches (86.9% correct) and mismatches (87.4% correct) with similar accuracy, and both reflected their estimated degree of confidence. Only participants with experience observing wildlife had higher scores. Overall, in situ photography offers promise as a method to identify individual leopard frogs and perhaps other species with distinctive individual patterns.