Ornate chorus frog


The ornate chorus frog is a species of chorus frog endemic to the Southeastern United States.

Description

It is 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 was named and classified by American herpetologist John Edwards Holbrook in 1836.

Etymology

The name of the genus, Pseudacris, comes from the Greek pseudes and akris, 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.