also lower than it was before the dam was put into place. To keep up with demands of fisheries, the water's temperature is kept artificially lower than normal, which consequently slows the development of R. boylii. Therefore, the colder temperatures are making it more difficult for the frogs to grow quickly, which sometimes leaves the species prey to many other animals that feed on their young. The problems occurring between the foothill yellow-legged frog and the dam are being handled by several herpetological organizations, along with the Forest Service, to find ways to alter the effects in a beneficial way for the frog. This species is also estimated to be gone from most of its range in the Sierra Nevada, especially south of Highway 80, where pesticides often contaminate rivers, and dams block the essential stream flows. Predators The foothill yellow-legged frog is a natural prey of diving beetles, water bugs, garter snakes, rough-skinned newts, bullfrogs, and western toads. References (2005): Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 34(2): 299–314. PDF fulltext. (2007) Constraints in naming parts of the Tree of Life. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42: 331–338. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is near threatened Rana boylii. AmphibiaWeb. 21 April 2009 <http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amphib_query?where-genus=Rana&where-species=boylii> Ashton, Don T., Amy J. Lind, and Kary E. Schlick. "Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana boylii) Natural History". USDA Forest Service (1998). <http://www.krisweb.com/biblio/gen_usfs_ashtonetal_1997_frog.pdf>. Benard, Michael F., and et al. "Effects of Chytrid and Carbaryl Exposure on Survival, Growth and Skin Peptide Defenses in Foothill Yellow-legged Frogs". Environmental Science and Technology 41 (2007): 1771–1776. <https://web.archive.org/web/20080904233412/http://www.jcu.edu.au/school/phtm/PHTM/frogs/papers/davidson-2007.pdf>. C. Michael Hogan (2008) Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa), Globaltwitcher, ed. Nicklas Stromberg Robert N. Fisher and Ted J. Case (2003) A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Coastal Southern California, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center Rana (genus) Amphibians described in 1854 Amphibians of Mexico Amphibians of the United States Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird