The ornate chorus frog (Pseudacris ornata ) is a species of chorus frog endemic to the Southeastern United States. Their distribution ranges from North Carolina, east to the very eastern part of Louisiana, and south to northern parts of Florida (Castellon et al., 2014).
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).
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. The frog’s upper lip is marked with a clear light colored line and many individuals have a faded triangle marking on the very top of the head (Mount, 1975). It has a pure white belly, and usually has yellow spots located in front of the hind legs.
Most commonly found in the Southern coastal plain. The ornate chorus frog is typically found in xeric habitats, including pine stands, sandhills, and pine savannahs. Woodland ponds, flooded fields, and roadside ditches can serve as breeding habitat, although ponds found within sandhills, and pine forests or plantations observe the most breeding. A site with an open canopy and herbaceous vegetation is also common for breeding. These frogs require seasonally flooded wetlands without fish for a three to four month period for tadpoles to develop completely (Goff et al., 2020).
These chorus frogs are nocturnal and are rarely seen, except during mating season. They become more active as the temperature begins to decrease and begin migrating toward water for the mating season. Most observations of this frog are on winter nights during or after rain. Because of this, little is known about the adult ornate chorus frog. They spend the remainder of the spring and summer waiting out the warm temperatures in burrows, under logs, or buried under sandy soil (Caldwell, 1987).
They are a fossorial species that uses their forelimbs in order to burrow into the substrate. This is a unique behavior because most burrowing frogs will dig backwards with their hind limbs. One study suggests that this method of forward burrowing may have evolved to facilitate subterranean feeding. They prefer to burrow in easily penetrated sandy soils and will occasionally communicate underground through vocalizations.
