Appalachian mountain chorus frog, Appalachian
The Appalachian mountain chorus frog (Pseudacris brachyphona ), formerly known as just the mountain chorus frog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. The species is endemic to the United States. The natural habitats of P. brachyphona are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, freshwater springs, ponds, open excavations, and canals and ditches.It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Appalachian mountain chorus frog is a small frog, but an intermediate size for the genus Pseudacris. It is colored different shades of grey or brown, including sorghum brown, deep brownish-drab, or mars brown. It is stocky in the body and broader in the head, which is very close to the structure and size of H. femoralis, the pine woods tree frog. The adult frog grows from 1.0 to 1.4 in (25 to 36 mm) in head and body length. The males are usually between 24 and 32 mm and the females between 27 and 34 mm. The Appalachian mountain chorus frog has a triangle between the eyes and a white line on the upper lip; the male has a dark throat.
The Appalachian mountain chorus frog can usually be found on the hillsides of southwestern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, southeastern Ohio, eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, eastern Tennessee, and northern Alabama north of the Tennessee River. They live on springy hillsides, grassy pools, and ditches, typically distant from water. The wooded hillsides where the frogs live are up to 3,500 feet (1,100 m) in elevation.
Appalachian mountain chorus frogs feed on invertebrates, such as insects, because they do not climb much, and if they do, it is into the weeds to pursue insects.
The Appalachian mountain chorus frog breeds in February through April. The female lays eggs in small, shallow bodies of water in the woods or waterways near the woods. If the frog lives near the base of a hill, it will lay eggs in ditches, pools along streams, or springs. The eggs are laid in groups of 10 to 50. They attach to vegetation and total about 500 eggs. The tadpole stage lasts for about 50 to 56 days. Once the tadpoles reach 8 mm, they metamorphose into frogs.