The upland chorus frog (''Pseudacris feriarum'') 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 ...

chorus frog ''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 ''akris ...

found in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was recently separated from the Western chorus frog, (''Pseudacris triseriata''), being identified as an individual species rather than a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

Habitat

Within their range, this species is found in a variety of habitats that include: swampy areas of broad valleys, grassy swales, moist areas of woodlands and borders of heavily vegetated ponds.

Description

Upland chorus frogs are usually

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

-brown, or

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

dish-brown in color, with darker blotching. They grow from 0.75–1.5 inches (1.9–3.8 cm) in size.

Geographic distribution

Found in the southern and eastern United States, the upland chorus frog is found from the state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

to the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

panhandle; west to eastern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and southeast

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Behavior

Upland chorus frogs are secretive,

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

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 ...

s, and are rarely seen (or heard) except immediately after rains. They are an almost entirely terrestrial species, and found in a variety of habitats, but usually moderately moist, vegetated areas, not far from a permanent water source. Like most frogs, they are

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

. Breeding occurs throughout the year, but most frequently during the cooler, more rainy periods from November to March.

Eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

are laid in clusters of 60 or so, in water and attached to vegetation. The female can lay upwards of 1,000 eggs at a time.

Conservation status

The upland chorus frog is listed as a protected species in the state of New Jersey, primarily due to

habitat destruction 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 ...

. Because of its restrictive habitat preferences, this species is declining in several states, particularly in areas where roadside ditches and other ephemeral pools are being drained or destroyed for new developments.

References

* Database entry includes a range map and a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
IUCN RangeMap: ''Pseudacris feriarum''Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries: Upland Chorus Frog

External links

Brazos Bend State Park: Flora and Fauna / Amphibians / Upland Chorus Frog
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2750051 Chorus frogs Amphibians of the United States Frogs of North America Fauna of the Northeastern United States Fauna of the Southeastern United States Ecology of the Appalachian Mountains Amphibians described in 1854 Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird