The pine woods tree frog (''Dryophytes femoralis'') is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to the southeastern United States.

Description

Tadpole

Pine woods tree frogs lay eggs in ephemeral water bodies. Eggs generally hatch within 24 hours, and tadpoles metamorphose into baby froglets after 50–75 days at 11–15 mm in length. Tadpoles are remarkably variable; similar to the squirrel tree frog (''Dryophytes squirellus''), the presence or absence of dragonfly larvae (a predator) induces a dramatic, red-colored tail. Like many amphibian species' tadpoles, those of the pinewoods tree frog are susceptible to parasitic infection by trematode flatworms. However, tadpoles swim in a manner that does not necessarily reduce the intensity of infection, but reduces the likelihood of these parasites infecting in the head and body region; instead, their swimming behavior shunts parasites to the tail area, where infection by parasites causes fewer harmful effects.

Adult

The pine woods tree frog is a very small species, growing to a length of . The color varies, sometimes being mottled brownish-gray, deep reddish-brown, gray, or grayish-green, usually with dark markings on its back. It is very similar in appearance to the squirrel tree frog but it can be distinguished from that species by the series of yellow, orange, or white dots that can be seen on the back of the thigh when the hind leg is extended. The toes have large toe pads but little webbing. Their distinctive call can be heard between April and October; it is a series of

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...

sounds, giving it the nickname of "Morse code frog". D. ''femoralis'' is unique in that the advertisement signals of individuals are highly plastic.

Distribution and habitat

The pine woods tree frog is found in the southeastern United States on the plains of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, its range extending from Virginia to Florida and Louisiana. It climbs high in trees, but also sometimes descends to ground level and favors pine woods,

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

s, mixed pine and

turkey oak Turkey oak is a common name for several species of oaks and may refer to: *''Quercus cerris'', native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor *''Quercus laevis ''Quercus laevis'', the turkey oak, is a member of the red oak group of oaks. It is nat ...

woodlands, and

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

swamps. During droughts or cold weather, it hides in or under rotten logs or in moist crevices in trees.

Biology

The pine woods tree frog mainly eats insects. Breeding takes place at any time between March and October. The male calls, especially at dusk, from locations close to water, such as trees, bushes, and inside clumps of vegetation. The female lays 800 to 2,000 eggs in clusters of 100 eggs no more than below the water, which may be a ditch or temporary pool. The tadpoles are fully developed and ready to undergo

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

at about two months old. There is evidence that suggests they can produce a second clutch in the same reproductive season allowing for two sets of eggs. Pine woods treefrog tadpoles may exhibit predator-induced phenotypic plasticity. Tadpoles exposed to predators develop deeper and shorter bodies and tails, smaller overall body size, and increased orange fin coloration and black tail outline. However, low food resources may inhibit the development of this induced morphology as it is energetically costly.

Status

The pine woods tree frog is listed as being of " Least Concern" in the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

. Its large population is believed to be stable, and it is common over much of its wide range. Although this species is listed as least concern, respecting and protecting its habitat is still a priority. This idea is relevant because of the treefrog species, the pine woods tree frog is one of the most sensitive in terms of habitat change. Therefore, environmental changes significantly affect the ability of this species to remain successful.McCoy, E. D., Delis, P. R., & Mushinsky, H. R. (2021). The importance of determining species sensitivity to environmental change: a tree frog example. Ecosphere, 12(5), e03526.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1056749 Dryophytes Amphibians described in 1800 Endemic amphibians of the United States Taxonomy articles created by Polbot