Edible Frog

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Edible Frog
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Family: Ranidae Genus: Pelophylax Species: P. lessonae x P. ridibundus
Binomial name
Pelophylax kl. esculentus Linnaeus, 1758

The Edible Frog ( Pelophylax kl. esculentus)^[1][2] is a name for a common European frog, also known as the common water frog or green frog (however, this latter term is also used for the North American species Lithobates clamitans). It is used for food, particularly in France for the delicacy frogs' legs. Females are between 5 to 9 cm long, males between 6 to 11 cm.

Pelophylax esculentus is the fertile hybrid of the Pool Frog (Pelophylax lessonae) and the Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus), hence the addition of the "kl." (for klepton or synklepton) in the species name. During the ice ages^[clarify] the population of the common ancestor of both species was split into two. These populations diverged, but remained genetically close enough to be able to create fertile hybrids. However, when edible frogs mate with each other, their offspring are often misformed, so there are no pure populations of edible frogs. The hybrid populations are propagated by female edible frogs mating with males of one of the parental species.^[3]

[edit] References

1. ^ Frost, Darrel R. 2006. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 4 (17 August 2006). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.
2. ^ Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green, and Wheeler 2006. The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Number 297. New York. Issued March 15, 2006.
3. ^ Mixed mating of pool frog and edible frog, pool frog are grass green and smaller