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Glite Dictionary
Rana pipiens

Rana pipiens

9.9
A common North American frog that lives near ponds with green or brown skin and dark spots with white edges
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : rana pipiens
  • The Rana pipiens is commonly found near ponds and marshes across North America.

Examples

  • In 1949, Briggs began searching for a research fellow to develop a nuclear transplantation procedure for the North American leopard frog, Rana pipiens.

    Academic text (1999)

  • During warm months, the distinct calls of the Rana pipiens can often be heard in wetland areas.

  • Biologists study Rana pipiens to understand its habitat preferences and breeding behaviors.

Synonyms

leopard frog
vsRana pipiens
  • US
1 5.1

A common North American green or brown frog with dark oval spots edged in white

is the same species but given a formal scientific name

How Big

Rana goliath
  • Specialized
9.9
Rana catesbeiana
  • Specialized
9.3
Rana clamitans
  • Specialized
9.9
Rana pipiens
  • Specialized
9.9
Rana sylvatica
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

Rana pipiens singular
Rana pipiens plural

Morphology

Rana + pipiens

This is a Latin binomial scientific name (a proper taxonomic label) whose parts are not ordinary English vocabulary; 'pipiens' is not a transparent English word and the genus label functions as a taxonomic marker rather than a compositional meaning. The expression names a specific species rather than expressing a meaning derivable from its constituents, so a B1 learner who only knows the parts would not be able to infer 'northern leopard frog.'

Etymology

Rana pipiens comes from Latin words: Rana means 'frog' and pipiens means 'peeping' or 'chirping'. The name gives the image of a frog making a peeping call, so it became the scientific name for the common 'northern leopard frog' you might spot by ponds.