Female Reproductive Traits of the Southern Leopard Frog, Rana sphenocephala (Anura: Ranidae), from Arkansas

Reproductive characteristics of female southern leopard frogs (Rana sphenocephala) were studied from specimens collected in northeastern Arkansas. Egg masses collected from breeding habitats were also examined. A communal ovipositional site was discovered in March 1988 and possessed over 75 egg masses within a 3 m square area. Clutch size from necropsied females averaged 2958.7 eggs, whereas number of eggs per egg mass averaged 2106.5 eggs. Egg diameter averaged 1.76 mm and was similar to populations reported previously in Texas. Positive correlations existed between mean ovum size and female body size and between clutch size and female body size. Negative correlations were found between mean egg diameter and mass per egg as each varied with number of eggs per egg mass. The reproductive traits of R. sphenocephala are basically similar to other ranid species