Frogs Flashcards
Anuran skeletal characteristics
- fused radius and ulna (radioulna)
- fused tibia and fibula (tibiofibula)
- caudal vertebrae fusing into urostyle
what is the term that describes the warning coloration on frogs?
Aposematism
How do frogs feed
- adhesive tongue attached in front of mouth
- jaws and teeth usually play minor role in prey capture
Term for frog humping
-Amplexus
Features for toad ID
- cranial crest
- Parotoid glands
- Warts
Features for frog ID
- Dorsolateral skin folds
- tympanum
New Zealand Frogs & Tailed Frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Leiopelmatidae
- Voiceless
- Copulatory organ -> coplexus
Fire-bellied toads, flat headed frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Bombinatoridae
- Common in pet trade
- has a sp of frog with no lungs
African Clawed Frog, Suriname Toads (family and characteristics)
- Family: Pipidae
- Tend to have an elaborate mating system
- Eggs embedded in females
Nearctic spadefoots (family and characteristiscs)
- Family: Scaphiopodidae
- Fossorial
- warty, but soft skin
Eastern Spadefoot (name, range, characteristics)
- Scaphiopus holbrookii
- vertical pupils
- sickle-shaped spade on underside of each foot
- prefers well drained, sandy soil
- Only in long island
Australian Toadlets, Turtle Frogs (family)
-Family: Myobatrachidae
Glass Frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Centrolenidae
- transparent abdominal skin
- mostly arboreal
- lay eggs on leaves and branches above streams
Posion frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Dendrobatidae
- lipophilic alkaloids sequestered from feeding on ants
- Aposematic
True toads, harlequin frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Bufonidae
- Parotoid glands
- Pelvic patch for rapid water uptake from a substrate
American toad (name, range, characteristics)
-Bufo americanus
-spots on belly
parotoid glads dont touch cranial crest
-breed in spring
-extremely common in NY
Fowlers toad (name, characteristics, range)
- Bufo fowleri
- unspotted belly
- prefers sandy soils
- Southern NY, long island range
Tree frogs (family, characteristics)
- Family: Hylidae
- high diversity in tropics
- most arboreal, some ground dwelling
Northern cricket frog (name, characterisitcs, range)
- Acris crepitans
- smallest frog in NY
- breed in early summer
- restricted to one range in S NY
Gray tree frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Hyla versicolor
- tree-dwelling
- identical to copes gray treefrog
- common in most parts of NY
Copes gray tree frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Hyla chrysoscelis
- call speed varies with temp
- faster call than H. versicolor
Spring peeper (name, range, characteristics)
- Pseudacris crucifer
- dark X on back
- breed in late winter/early spring
- found everywhere in NY
Western chorus frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Pseudacris triseriata
- poorly developed toe discs
- no webbing between toes
- Found in W NY south of Lake Ontario
Why is there an open spot between in the W chorus frog range
- two separate species that were usually treated as one
- Boreal chorus frog
Afroasian tree frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Rhacophoridae
- Enlarged toe pads
- can glide from canopy
True frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Ranidae
- typically found in ponds
- long legs with webbing between toes
Bullfrog (name, range, characteristics)
- Rana catesbeianus
- largest frog in NY
- no dorsolateral fold
- breed in summer
- common everywhere in NY
Green frog
- Rana clamitans
- one of the most common frogs in NY
- permanent water bodies
Mink frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Rana septentrionalis
- musky, mink like odor
- breed in summer
- webs on feet go past toes
- only in ADK region
Pickerel frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Rana palustris
- rectangle spots on back
- slow, shallow moving waters
- last frog to enter habitation
- common throughout NY
Northern leopard frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Rana pipiens
- light borders around spots on back
- dorsolateral fold (white) runs down entire length
- common in everywhere except S NY and ADK
Southern leopard frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Rana sphenocephalus
- light dot in middle of tympanum
- prefers wetlands
- only in long island, and one watershed in central NY
Atlantic coast leopard frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Rana kauffeldi
- open and vegetated wetlands
- lass varied coloration than southern
Wood frog (name, range, characteristics)
- Rana sylvaticus
- dark eye mask
- prominent dorsal folds
- freeze tolerant
- explosive breeders in early spring
- common everywhere in NY
Narrow-mouthed frogs (family and characteristics)
- Family: Microhylidae
- worldwide except Antarctica
Toxins associated with toads
-Bufotoxins in parotoid glands
Function of the tympanum
-transmits sound vibrations to inner ear
