| Pine Barrens tree frog | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hylidae |
| Genus: | Dryophytes |
| Species: | D. andersonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Dryophytes andersonii (Baird, 1854) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Pine Barrens tree frog [3] (Dryophytes andersonii) is a species of New World tree frog. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.
Dryophytes andersonii is about 2.8–4.3 centimetres (1.1–1.7 in) long, snout-to-vent, as an adult. Members of the species are predominantly emerald green. The green coloration is bordered by a white stripe, which separates it from a later plum band that extends downwards to cover the belly. The hidden surfaces of their legs are orange to yellow. [4] The belly is covered in white areolae. The toes are partially webbed, while the fingers are free. The pads of both fingers and toes are small. [5]
The key to distinguishing the Pine Barrens tree frog from the similar-appearing American green tree frog (D. cinerea) is the white-bordered lavender stripe on each side of the body in the Pine Barrens tree frog. D. cinerea has only a white stripe in this location.
Dryophytes andersonii are primarily found near temporary still or slow waters dominated by shrubs or herbaceous plants. Permanent bodies of water that are home to fish contain fewer and more isolated frogs. Their preferred natural habitats include wet areas in pitch pine forests, intermittent streams and ponds, stream backwaters, Sphagnum bogs, and Atlantic white cedar swamps. They are also found alongside artificial bodies of water such as cranberry bogs, water-filled ruts created by vehicles, flooded borrow pits, and ditches. Adults are primarily found in waterside vegetation, but may be encountered on the ground. [4]
D. andersonii prefer to reproduce in isolated, shallow, acidic ponds. The ideal pH level for D. andersonii eggs is between 3.74 and 4.69. The eggs are laid in May and June; the tadpoles metamorphose into adults in July and August. Eggs are laid singly, and are approximately 1.2–1.4 millimetres (0.047–0.055 in) in diameter. [4] [5]
Calling begins at the end of April and can continue into August. Adults remain within 70 metres (230 ft) of their breeding sites throughout the breeding season, although individuals have been documented as far as 100 metres (330 ft). Towards the end of the season, they disperse father away from their breeding sites. The species' comparatively late breeding season, combined with its preference for temporary water sources, makes it vulnerable to droughts and changes in water levels. [4]
Dryophytes andersonii primarily inhabits the Atlantic Coastal Plain. [5] Due to the limited extent of suitable habitats, the species is currently distributed in three disjunct areas in the southeastern United States: the New Jersey Pine Barrens; the Sandhills of North and South Carolina; and the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama. The New Jersey populations are the largest currently recorded. [6] Although one specimen of D. andersonii is known from Richmond County Georgia, a population is not known to currently exist there. [5] [6]
Dryophytes andersonii is the state frog of North Carolina. It was selected through a poll organized by the North Carolina Herpetological Society, in which the Pine Barrens tree frog was chosen alongside the marbled salamander. [7] [8]
Dryophytes andersonii was listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service between 1977 and 1983, when additional populations were found in Florida. [9] The IUCN has classified it as Near Threatened as of 1996. [1]
Pine Barrens tree frogs are rarely encountered in sites where nonnative amphibians, such as bullfrogs, and nonnative fish are present, suggesting that they are poor competitors. As a consequence of this, D. andersonii populations found in or near developed and agricultural areas are believed to be the most at risk due to the greater presence of nonnative species there. [4]
The Pine Barrens tree frog is currently listed as Threatened in the state of New Jersey. [4]
The Pine Barrens tree frog was featured in a series of prints by artist Andy Warhol. In 1983, the artist was commissioned to create a portfolio of ten endangered species to raise environmental awareness and included was D. andersonii. [10] The porfolio, known as "Endangered Species" was created in support of the Endangered Species Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1973. Other animals within the portfolio include the Siberian Tiger, Bald Eagle and the Giant Panda. [11]
The New Jersey Pine Barrens, also known as the Pinelands or simply the Pines, is the largest remaining example of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecosystem, stretching across more than seven counties of New Jersey. Two other large, contiguous examples of this ecosystem remain in the northeastern United States: the Long Island Central Pine Barrens and the Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens. The name pine barrens refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil. Although European settlers could not cultivate their familiar crops there, the unique ecology of the Pine Barrens supports a diverse spectrum of plant life, including orchids and carnivorous plants. The area is also notable for its populations of rare pygmy pitch pines and other plant species that depend on the frequent fires of the Pine Barrens to reproduce. The sand that composes much of the area's soil is referred to by the locals as sugar sand.
Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic.
The American green tree frog is a common arboreal species of New World tree frog belonging to the family Hylidae. This nocturnal insectivore is moderately sized and has a bright green to reddish-brown coloration. Commonly found in the central and southeastern United States, the frog lives in open canopy forests and permanent waters with abundant vegetation. When defending territory, the frog either emits aggressive call signals or grapples with intruders. To avoid predation, the frog hides in its aquatic habitat.
Hyla japonica, commonly known as the Japanese tree frog, is a species of anuran native to Japan, China, and Korea. H. japonica is unique in its ability to withstand extreme cold, with some individuals showing cold resistance at temperatures as low as -30 °C for up to 120 days. H. japonica are not currently facing any notable risk of extinction and are classified by the IUCN as a species of "least concern". Notably, H. japonica have been sent to space in a study that explored the effect of microgravity on H. japonica. Hyla japonica is synonymous with Dryophytes japonicus.
The Florida bog frog is a rare species of frog found only in western Florida.
The gray treefrog is a species of small arboreal holarctic tree frog native to much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.
Cope's gray treefrog is a species of treefrog found in the United States and Canada. It is almost indistinguishable from the gray treefrog, and shares much of its geographic range. Both species are variable in color, mottled gray to gray-green, resembling the bark of trees. These are treefrogs of woodland habitats, though they will sometimes travel into more open areas to reach a breeding pond. The only readily noticeable difference between the two species is the mating call — Cope's has a faster-paced and slightly higher-pitched call than D. versicolor. In addition, D. chrysoscelis is reported to be slightly smaller, more arboreal, and more tolerant of dry conditions than D. versicolor.
The squirrel tree frog is a small species of tree frog found in the south-eastern United States, from Texas to Virginia. This is an introduced species in the Bahamas. Squirrel tree frogs are small frogs, about 1.5 inches in length as adults. There are several color variations, but most commonly they are green and look very much like the American green tree frog. They can also be varying shades of yellow or brown, sometimes with white or brown blotching.
The canyon tree frog is a species of tree frog native to the rocky plateau areas of southern United States, primarily in New Mexico and Arizona, but it also ranges to Utah, Texas, and Colorado, and as far south as the Mexican states of Michoacán, México, Guanajuato, Guerrero, and Oaxaca.
Dryophytes gratiosus, commonly known as the barking tree frog, is a species of tree frog endemic to the south-eastern United States.
Dryophytes eximius, commonly known as the mountain tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are mesquite grasslands, scrub forests, and pine-oak forests. It is a widely distributed species that faces no major threats.
The pine woods tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to the southeastern United States.
Dryophytes immaculatus, the Chinese immaculate treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to China. The natural habitat of the species has been generally transformed into rice fields and it is threatened by habitat loss.
Wright's mountain tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in Mexico and the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate grassland, rivers, and freshwater marshes. Dryophytes wrightorum has been regarded as a synonym of Dryophytes eximius, the mountain tree frog, which is listed as the state amphibian of Arizona. As presently circumscribed, Dryophytes eximius is endemic to Mexico and does not occur in Arizona. It is the state amphibian of Arizona.
A tree frog is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia suborder have given rise to treefrogs, although they are not closely related to each other.
Dryophytes is a genus of Ameroasian tree frogs in the family Hylidae. They are found mostly in North America, but the genus also includes three species found in eastern Asia.
Dryophytes suweonensis, the Suweon treefrog or Suwon treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to the Korean Peninsula probably from the Imjin River to the Mangyeong River, south of Iksan. Its distribution and population have been assessed to be below 800 individuals and the status of the species has been updated as Endangered by the IUCN. The natural habitat of the species has been generally transformed into rice fields and it is threatened by habitat loss.
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