Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Amphibia
Subclassis: Lissamphibia
Ordo: Anura
Familia: Hylidae
Subfamilia: Hylinae
Genus: Dryophytes
Species: Dryophytes avivoca
Subspecies: D. a. avivoca – D. a. ogechiensis
Name
Dryophytes avivoca Viosca, 1928
Type locality: "outskirts of Mandeville, [St. Tammany Parish,] Louisiana", USA.
Holotype: USNM 75017.
Synonyms
Hyla avivoca Viosca, 1928
Hyla phaeocrypta ogechiensis Neill, 1948
Hyla avivoca avivoca — Smith, 1953
Hyla avivoca ogechiensis — Smith, 1953
References
Viosca, 1928, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 41: 89.
Smith, 1953, Herpetologica, 9: 172.
Frost, D.R. 2021. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.1. Electronic Database accessible at https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. DOI: 10.5531/db.vz.0001 Dryophytes avivoca . Accessed on 21 Apr 2008.
2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species IUCN: Dryophytes avivoca (Least Concern) Downloaded on 21 April 2008.
Vernacular names
English: Bird-voiced Treefrog
The bird-voiced tree frog[2] (Dryophytes avivoca) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, shrub-dominated wetlands, and swamps.
Description
The bird-voiced tree frog is a small species growing to about 5 cm (2.0 in) long. It is usually a dappled, pale grey or brown on its dorsal surface, but its color changes with the temperature and its level of activity, and may be more or less pale green. It often has a dark brown cross-shaped mark on its back and further dark areas on its limbs. Its belly is grey with flashes of yellow on the underside of its hind legs. The male has a dark throat. This frog is very similar to the larger gray tree frog (Dryophytes versicolor), but that species has an orange flash on its hind legs. Both have a whitish square region just underneath the eyes. The bird-voiced tree frog is easily distinguishable during the spring and summer when it gives its characteristic call.[3][4][5]
Distribution and habitat
The bird-voiced tree frog is found over much of the southeastern United States, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Its favored habitat is wooded swamps near streams and rivers where the dominant species include cypress, birch, tupelo, and buttonbush.[1]
Behavior
Menu
0:00
Adult male calling
The bird-voiced tree frog normally lives in trees, seldom descending to the ground except to breed. It is nocturnal and emerges at dusk to forage for insects and other small invertebrates. Breeding takes place in late spring and early summer, usually after heavy rains. The male calls from bushes and low vegetation close to the edge of temporary pools or ponds. The sound is a rapid, repetitive "wit-wit-wit-wit". The female lays a number of batches of six to fifteen eggs in shallow water. The tadpole stage lasts for about a month and the newly metamorphosed juvenile frogs are often seen in bushes or dispersing to other localities in wet weather.[4]
Status
The bird-voiced tree frog is listed as being of "Least Concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It seems to have large populations in the areas in which it occurs and there seems to be no noticeable decline in numbers. Clearing or draining the swamps in which it lives would be deleterious, but is not happening to any great extent.[6]
References
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2017). "Dryophytes avivoca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T55403A112712113. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T55403A112712113.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Dryophytes avivoca, Amphibian Species of the World 6.0
"Bird-voiced Treefrog (Hyla avivoca)". Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
"Bird-voiced Treefrogs – Hyla avivoca". The Frogs and Toads of Georgia. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
"Hyla avivoca – Bird-voiced Treefrog". Illinois Natural History Survey. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2017). "Dryophytes avivoca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T55403A112712113. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T55403A112712113.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/"
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
