The Appalachian mountain chorus frog (''Pseudacris brachyphona''), formerly known as just the mountain chorus frog, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Hylidae. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the United States. The natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of ''P. brachyphona'' are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, freshwater springs, ponds, open excavations, and canals and ditches. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Taxonomy

The

Collinses' mountain chorus frog The Collinses' mountain chorus frog (''Pseudacris collinsorum'') is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to hilly regions of the southeastern United States. Taxonomy Formerly considered a population of the Appalachian mount ...

(''Pseudacris collinsorum''), which ranges from southwestern

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

/southeastern

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

south to most of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

aside from the north and west to northeastern

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, was formerly thought to represent a population of ''P. brachyphona'', but was described as a distinct species in 2020. The description of this species led ''P. brachyphona'' to be renamed the Appalachian mountain chorus frog. Mountain chorus frogs are part of the family Hylidae, also known as the

tree frogs A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several Lineage (evolution), lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to treefrogs, although they a ...

. Tree frogs are one of the largest families in the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Salientia (also called Anura). Because they are so colorful and have many acrobatic talents, they have been called the "clowns and high-wire artists" of the

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

world. The almost 500 species of

are found all over the world, from tropical regions to the Canadian woods, and Australia. They are found in places where toads are usually found.

Physical characteristics

The Appalachian mountain chorus frog is a small

, but an intermediate size for the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Pseudacris ''Pseudacris'' (commonly known as the chorus frogs) is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae found in North America ranging from the Pacific coastline to the Atlantic. The name of the genus comes from the Greek ''pseudes'' (false) and ''akri ...

''. It is colored different shades of grey or brown, including sorghum brown, deep brownish-drab, or mars brown. It is stocky in the body and broader in the head, which is very close to the structure and size of ''H. femoralis'', the pine woods tree frog. The

adult An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

grows from in head and body length. The males are usually between 24 and 32 mm and the females between 27 and 34 mm. The Appalachian mountain chorus

has a triangle between the eyes and a white line on the upper lip; the male has a dark throat.

Geographic range and habitat

The Appalachian mountain chorus

can usually be found on the hillsides of southwestern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, western Maryland, southeastern

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, eastern

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, eastern

, and northern

north of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

. They live on springy hillsides, grassy pools, and ditches, typically distant from water. The wooded hillsides where the frogs live are up to in elevation.

Vocalization

The Appalachian mountain chorus frog has a unique call. It is a faster, higher note, and holds a distinct quality and form. The repetitions are quicker and the pitch higher. It resembles the call of the

Pacific Chorus Frog The Pacific tree frog (''Pseudacris regilla''), also known as the Pacific chorus frog, has a range spanning the Pacific Northwest, from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington to British Columbia in Canada and extreme southern Alaska. They l ...

rather closely but is less clearly two syllabled. When a whole chorus of them are heard, one can tell them apart from other groups. The Appalachian mountain chorus frog's call has a rate of 50 to 70 times a minute and can be continued for several minutes, though they usually stop in 15 to 20 seconds. This distinct call is rapid and can be heard on a clear night up to a quarter mile away. Their voice has a bit of a nasal quality to it and sounds like a wagon wheel turning that needs oil. It is a harsh, raspy "wreeck" or "reek" sound. The

has a similar call but with a faster pulse rate.

Breeding

The Appalachian mountain chorus frog breeds in February through April. The female lays eggs in small, shallow bodies of water in the woods or waterways near the woods. If the frog lives near the base of a hill, it will lay eggs in ditches, pools along streams, or springs. The eggs are laid in groups of 10 to 50. They attach to vegetation and total about 500 eggs. The

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

stage lasts for about 50 to 56 days. Once the tadpoles reach 8 mm, they metamorphose into frogs.

Food

Appalachian mountain chorus frogs feed on

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

, such as insects, because they do not climb much, and if they do, it is into the weeds to pursue insects.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Knapp, Walter W. . "Mountain Chorus Frog." The Frogs & Toads of Georgia. 09 Sept 2006. 27 Oct 2007. . * Mattison, Chris. 1987. 'Frogs and Toads of the World''. New York: Facts on File, Inc. * "Mountain Chorus Frog." Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 30 Jan 2007. 27 Oct 2007. . * Simon, Hilda. 1975. ''Frogs and Toads of the World''. New York: J.B. Lippincott Company. * "Virginia Wildlife Information" Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. 19 Nov. 2007.. * Wright, Albert Hazen, and Anna Allen Wright. 1949. ''Handbook of Frogs and Toads''. 3rd Edition. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Company, Inc.