Collinses' mountain chorus frog

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Collinses' mountain chorus frog
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Pseudacris
Species:
P. collinsorum
Binomial name
Pseudacris collinsorum
Ospina, Tieu, Apodaca & Lemmon, 2020

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. [1] [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

Formerly considered a population of the Appalachian mountain chorus frog (P. brachyphona), a study published in 2020 found significant genetic divergence from P. brachyphona and thus described it as a distinct species, P. collinsorum. It was named in honor of herpetologist Joseph T. Collins and his wife, wildlife photographer Suzanne L. Collins. Prior to his passing, Joseph Collins had contributed many specimens to be used in the study. [3]

Distribution

This species ranges from southwestern North Carolina/southeastern Tennessee, south through northern Georgia to most of Alabama aside from the north (which is occupied by brachyphona), and west to northeastern Mississippi. It inhabits elevations of between 100–320 metres (330–1,050 ft) above sea level. [3]

Habitat

This species inhabits drier and/or more pine-dominated areas than P. brachyphona, which in contrast largely inhabits mesic habitats. [3]

Description

This species is more variable in appearance than brachyphona; although it sometimes displays the same dorsal pattern seen in brachyphona, this pattern can sometimes be broken, or even be lacked altogether on collinsorum. In addition, its call displays a faster pulse rate than that of brachyphona. [3]

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Joseph Thomas Collins, Jr. was an American herpetologist. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Collins authored 27 books and over 300 articles on wildlife, of which about 250 were on amphibians and reptiles. He was the founder of the Center for North American Herpetology (CNAH). He died while studying amphibians and reptiles on St. George Island, Florida on 14 January 2012. "For 60 years I was obsessed with herpetology," Joe Collins claimed.

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References

  1. "Pseudacris collinsorum Ospina, Tieu, Apodaca, and Lemmon, 2020 | Amphibian Species of the World". amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  2. "AmphibiaWeb - Pseudacris collinsorum". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ospina, Oscar E.; Tieu, Lynee; Apodaca, Joseph J.; Lemmon, Emily Moriarty (December 4, 2020). "Hidden Diversity in the Mountain Chorus Frog (Pseudacris brachyphona) and the Diagnosis of a New Species of Chorus Frog in the Southeastern United States". Copeia. 108 (4): 778–795. doi: 10.1643/CH2020009 . ISSN   0045-8511. S2CID   229424207.