Pine Woods Treefrog - Hyla femoralis
- Diagnostic Features:
- Size: 1 to 1.5 inches (25 to 38 mm)
- Deep reddish brown, but may also be gray or green
- No white spot under eye.
- Dark markings on back
- Row of small orange, yellow or whitish spots on the
rear of the thigh (only seen in hand)
- Large toe pads present
- Natural History:
- An aboreal acrobat that climbs high in the trees,
but also frequents lower levels, even the ground.
- Commonly found in pine flatwoods and in or near
cypress swamps or other water
- It feeds on various insects.
- Breeding occurs from March to October.
- Males may call individually just before dark.
- Calling is usually from up in vegetation (bushes,
trees) at edge of water, but may be from within things like grass
clumps at ground level.
- Eggs are laid in films of 100 to 125 eggs on the
water's surface or just below it on stems or other objects.
- Voice: Sonogram
- The "dot and dash" frog.
- Morse code done with a snore, or machine gun like.
- Large chorus sounds like a series of riviting machines
all going at once.
- Tadpole stage about 50 to 75 days
- Transformed size: 13 mm
- LTRF 2/3; narrow midventral gap in marginal papillae
absent; eyes lateral; Rocky Mountains and east; P-3 long, P-2/P-3 ca.
- midventral marginal papillae biserial; dense patch of
submarginal papillae ventrolaterally; length of one side of A- 2/width
of medial gap > 5.0; body more or less uniformly brown or
russet; basal two-thirds of tail muscle with prominent pale lateral
stripe that remains in preservative; fin areas adjacent to tail muscle
usually lacking or with less dense aggregations of melanic blotches
compared with remainder of fin; clear parts of fins usually reddish in
life; temporary lentic sites throughout Coastal Plain from Mississippi
River to southeastern Virginia (geographic variations apparent = fins
much higher, differently shaped, and more brightly colored at Tampa,
Florida [central peninsula] and Crestview, Florida [panhandle] with
more prominent flagellum than near Gulfport, Mississippi
- In North America, this treefrog is found on the coastal
plain, southeast Virginia to south Florida and east Louisiana.
- In Georgia, it is found below the fall line.
- In Light
Blue: Williamson, Gerald K. & Moulis,
Robert A., Distribution of Amphibians and Reptiles in Georgia, Special
Publication No. 3, Savannah Science Museum, Inc. Savannah, Georgia, 1994
- In Green:
- In Yellow:
From Both '94 study and Sound Recordings
- In Magenta:
Photograph, not found by '94, may or may not be sound record
- In Medium
Blue: Photograph and in '94 study, may or may
not be sound record