Western chorus frog

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Western chorus frog

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Pseudacris
Species:
P. triseriata
Binomial name
Pseudacris triseriata
Wied-Neuwied
, 1838
Range of P. triseriata
Synonyms

Hyla triseriata
Helocaetes triseriatus
Chorophilus triseriatus
Chorophilus nigritus triseriatus

The western chorus frog (Pseudacris triseriata), also known as striped chorus frog,[2] or midland chorus frog[3] is a species of frog found in Canada and the United States.

Description

Western chorus

ventral
side of the frog typically has dark, scattered flecks. A single white stripe runs along the upper lip, and a heavy dark stripe runs across the eye and along each side from the snout to the leg. A dark triangular spot on the head may also be seen in some individuals. These frogs have small, round toes without pads and very little webbing between each toe.

Typically,

females, and can be told apart from the females by their yellow vocal sacs
when calling. When not calling, this sac looks like a dark, loose flap of skin beneath the throat.

Tadpoles
of the western chorus frog have gray or brown bodies. Their body shape is round with clear tail fins and dark flecks. The intestinal coil reportedly can be seen through the belly skin if closely observed. Their lips are black.

Taxonomy

P. triseriata was once considered a

P. t. feriarum. These have since been granted species status, meaning P. triseriata as described here has no subspecies.[4]

Distribution

This chorus frog has a huge distribution, from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and New Jersey to central Arizona. The frogs lives from near sea level to about 12,000 ft (3,700 m) above sea level, and are capable of surviving temperatures as low as –8 °C.[5]

Habitat

Western chorus frogs live in a variety of different

habitats, but areas of more permanent water increase the risk of predation on eggs and/or tadpoles. To compensate for this, chorus frogs stick to mostly ephemeral freshwater areas, such as marshes, river swamps, meadows, grassy pools, and other open areas found in mountains and prairies. The western chorus frog remains close to these ephemeral aquatic habitats, since they provide excellent mating, breeding, and hibernation
grounds. Since these areas tend to dry out, these frogs can be, but are less commonly, found in fallowed agricultural fields, damp woodlands, roadside ditches, and wooded swamps.

Behavior

Both males and sometimes females call in large choruses. Males use a special call to attract several potential mates to breeding sites. The western chorus frog call can be heard from half a mile away. The call is a very distinct "cree-ee-ee—eeek", but can be confused with the upland chorus frog. Calling can occur for 0.5–2.0 seconds and can occur 18–20 times in a minute. The higher the temperature, the more frequent calls occur in a minute, (30–90 calls per minute). The western chorus frog relies heavily on secrecy to keep themselves safe from predators. Any disturbances to the frog's environment causes them to stop calling and dive into the depths of whatever water source they reside near, under leaf litter, logs, rocks, or loose soil, for minutes. These terrestrial hiding spots serve not only as hiding places, but also as hibernation places for the frogs during the winter.

Diet

The diet of an adult consists of small

springtails
. Tadpoles feed on periphyton, filamentous algae, diatoms, and pollen in or on the surface of the water. They will scavenge if given the opportunity.

Reproduction

metamorphose
into froglets 40–90 days afterwards.

Conservation and ecology

Although quite adaptable and tolerant to human activity, western chorus frog populations are declining in certain areas. Labeled as in least concern on the

IUCN list, the US Federal List has the species labeled as no special status. In Canada, the western chorus frog is listed as threatened in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence - Canadian Shield under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).[6][7] The western chorus frog is currently the subject of a legal dispute over compensation between a landowner and the Government of Canada.[8]

The western chorus frog plays an important role as an

trematodes
. Therefore, the health of these frogs are valuable in determining the health of ecosystems and whether agricultural practices have leaked any pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers into the environment.

References

  1. . Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b Boreal Chorus Frog, Natural Resources Canada Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b Midland Chorus Frog, Natural Resources Canada Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Amphibian Species of the World 6.0". 2014-06-04.
  5. ^ Adaptations of Frogs to Survive Freezing
  6. ^ COSEWIC. 2008. "COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Western Chorus Frog Pseudacristriseriata Carolinian population and Great Lakes/St. Lawrence – Canadian Shield population in Canada" (PDF). Government of Canada: Environment Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Retrieved 6 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Environment Canada, 2015. "Recovery Strategy for the Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata), Great Lakes / St. Lawrence – Canadian Shield population, in Canada, Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series" (PDF). Government of Canada Publications. Environment Canada, Ottawa. Retrieved 6 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Forrest, Maura (September 5, 2019). "'This is Kafkaesque': Developer goes to court for compensation over project halted by Western chorus frog". National Post. Retrieved 6 September 2019.

External links