Ornate chorus frog

For microhylid frog found in East and Southeast Asia, see Ornate chorus frog (Asia).

Ornate chorus frog
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Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Hylidae
Genus:	Pseudacris
Species:	P. ornata
Binomial name
Pseudacris ornata (Holbrook, 1836)
Synonyms
Rana ornata Holbrook, 1836 Cystignathus ornatus — Holbrook, 1842 Chorophilus ornatus — LeConte, 1855 Pseudacris ornata — Stejneger & Barbour, 1917

The ornate chorus frog (Pseudacris ornata) is a species of chorus frog endemic to the Southeastern United States.

Description

It is 25–38 mm (1–1.5 in) in head-body length. Its color varies depending on locale: some are green, others red or brown. It typically has a defined but broken stripe or spots leading from the nose down the side. It has a pure white belly, and usually has yellow spots located in front of the hind legs.

Habitat

Most commonly found in the Southern coastal plain, they live in longleaf pine flatwoods.

Behavior

These chorus frogs are nocturnal and are rarely seen, except during mating season.

Taxonomy

The ornate chorus frog (Pseudacris ornata) was named and classified by American herpetologist John Edwards Holbrook in 1836.

Etymology

The name of the genus, Pseudacris, comes from the Greek pseudes (false) and akris (locust), probably a reference to the repeated rasping trill of most chorus frogs, which is similar to that of the insect. The specific name, ornata, is the feminine form of the Latin adjective, ornatus (decorated).

References

• Hammerson (2004). Pseudacris ornata. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern