Acris crepitans Baird, 1854 Northern Cricket Frog |
family: Hylidae subfamily: Hylinae genus: Acris |
© 2010 Stephen Bennett (1 of 29)
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Description Acris crepitans paludicola and Acris crepitans blanchardi are recognized as subspecies. A. c. paludicola has smooth skin with a pinkish patterned coloration. The throat remains pink, even for males during breeding season. A. c. blanchardi by comparison is wartier, bulkier, and heavier with a light brown or gray uniform coloration (Conant and Collins 1991). Males have more ventral spotting than females (Stebbins 2003). Distribution and Habitat Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: United States U.S. state distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
A. c. blanchardi is found in Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, eastern Colorado, and most of Texas. A few have been spotted in Minnesota and New Mexico as well. A. c. paludicola is found in marshes ranging from southwestern Louisiana to southeastern Texas (Conant and Collins 1991). Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors It is active during both day and night in warm weather but only active during the day in spring and autumn. Acris crepitans is an extraordinary leaper and can leap up to 38 times their standard body length (Hammerson 1999). It is carnivorous, eating various invertebrates and arthropods such as beetles, flies, spiders, ants, and true bugs (Hulse McCoy and Censky 2001). Trends and Threats Relation to Humans Possible reasons for amphibian decline General habitat alteration and loss Comments Hear Northern Cricket Frog calls at the Western Sound Archive. References Conant, R. and Collins, J. T. (1991). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern/Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Hammerson, G. A. (1999). Amphibians and Reptiles in Colorado. University Press of Colorado, Niwot. Hulse, A. C., McCoy, C. J., and Censky, E. J. (2001). Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. Cornell University Press, Ithaca. Johnson, T.R. (2000). Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri: 2nd Edition. Conservation Commission of Missouri, Jefferson City. Stebbins, R. C. (1985). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Originally submitted by: Michelle Iwaki (first posted 2004-03-23) Edited by: Tate Tunstall, Michelle S. Koo (2012-04-29) Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2012 Acris crepitans: Northern Cricket Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/670> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Jun 12, 2024. Feedback or comments about this page.
Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 12 Jun 2024. AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use. |