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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Aquatic Invasives
  3. Fish and Other Aquatic Vertebrates
  4. Bullfrog

Bullfrog

Scientific Name

Lithobates catesbeianus (formerly known as Rana catesbeiana) (ITIS)

Common Name

American Bullfrog

Native To

Central and Eastern U.S. (Clarkson and deVos 1986)

Date of U.S. Introduction

First introduced to the Western U.S. in the early 1900s (Clarkson and deVos 1986)

Means of Introduction

Most introductions have been associated with escapes from aquaculture operations. Other pathways include bait used for recreational fishing and escapes or releases through the pet trade, landscape ponds, research, and teaching (Adams and Pearl 2007).

Impact

Competes with and preys on native species (Ficetola et al. 2007)

Current U.S. Distribution

Western U.S.

American bullfrog

American bullfrog, adult

Credit

Photo by Russ Ottens; University of Georgia

Source
Invasive.org.

Find more images

Spotlights

  • Invasive Species Bullfrog and Snake Cost World $16bn - Study

    • Jul 29, 2022

    • BBC News.

    • Scientists tallying the economic damage wrought by invasive pests across the world found two species are responsible for more harm than any other.

      The American bullfrog and brown tree snake have collectively caused $16.3bn in global damage since 1986. In addition to ecological harm, the invasive pair have ruined farm crops and triggered costly power outages.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Videos

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Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force
Partnership
Federal Government
International Government
State and Local Government
Academic
Citations