Cope's gray treefrog[2] (Dryophytes chrysoscelis) is a species of treefrog found in the United States. It is almost indistinguishable from the gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor), and shares much of its geographic range. Both species are variable in color, mottled gray to gray-green, resembling the bark of trees. These are treefrogs of woodland habitats, though they will sometimes travel into more open areas to reach a breeding pond. The only readily noticeable difference between the two species is the mating call — Cope's has a faster-paced and slightly higher-pitched call than D. versicolor. In addition, D. chrysoscelis is reported to be slightly smaller, more arboreal, and more tolerant of dry conditions than D. versicolor.[3]
Microscopic inspection of the chromosomes of D. chrysoscelis and D. versicolor reveals differences in chromosome number. D. chrysoscelis is diploid, having two complete sets of chromosomes, the usual condition in vertebrates. D. versicolor is tetraploid, having double the usual number of chromosomes. Generally, D. versicolor is believed to have evolved from D. chrysoscelis in the last major ice age, when areas of extremely low temperatures divided populations. Despite currently sharing habitat, the two species generally do not interbreed.
D. chrysoscelis is known to be largely intersterile with D. versicolor but there may be a limited amount of interfertility in sympatry. To enforce speciation there may be unknown mechanisms of reinforcement deployed between these species and further research may be fruitful.[5]
Description
Showing variation in color
Both D. chrysoscelis and D. versicolor have black-marked bright orange to yellow patches on their hind legs, which distinguishes them from other treefrogs, such as D. avivoca.[3] The bright-yellow pattern is normally hidden, but exposed when the frog leaps. This "flash pattern" likely serves to startle a predator as the frog makes its escape.[6] The pattern and color variations of skin for this species will change depending on the environment they are found in.[7]. Similar hidden bright patterns are common in various Lepidoptera, for instance moths of the genus Catocala.[8] Both species of gray treefrogs are slightly sexually dimorphic. Males have black or gray throats in the breeding season, while the throats of the females are lighter.[9]
D. chrysoscelis male showing black throat
Skin secretions from this species may be irritating or toxic to mouth, eyes, other mucous membranes.[10]
Distribution and habitat
The range of D. chrysoscelis is more southerly; it is apparently the species found in the lower elevation Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia and the Carolinas. In those areas, D. versicolor may be present only in the Appalachians.[3] While this species is most abundant in the southeast, it can be found as far north as Minnesota. D. chrysoscelis has also been observed to practice freeze tolerance in a lab setting, which could help it survive in cold climates.[11] These frogs are one of the very few that can mobilize glycerol as a cryoprotectant. Glycerol production is low when the temperature is warmer, but when it gets colder, the glycerol in the body is rapidly produced.[12] They prefer to perch on pipes located along the edges of wetlands and close to trees, which suggests that the terrestrial habitat surrounding wetlands is an important component of the species habitat.[13] The bird-voiced treefrog, D. avivoca, is similar to D. chrysoscelis and D. versicolor, but is smaller (25–50 mm in length vs 32–62 mm for the gray treefrog).
In the Southeastern United States, Cope's gray treefrog breeds and calls from May to August. Isolated males start calling from woodland areas during warm weather a week or more before migrating to temporary ponds to breed. There they form aggregations (choruses) and call together. Chorusing is most frequent at night, but individuals often call during daytime in response to thunder or other loud noises. These individual calls are produced at high sound pressure levels (SPLs) reaching 85 to 90 dB and sustained noise levels in choruses commonly range between 70 and 80 dB SPL.[14] Female treefrogs have been found to be able to differentiate calls at scales of up to a few decibals.[15] Eggs are laid in batches of 10 to 40 on the surfaces of shallow ponds and other small bodies of water. These temporary bodies of water usually lack fish, and females preferentially lay their eggs in water bodies that lack fish or other predatory vertebrates and have lower desiccation risk.[16][17][18] Eggs hatch in about five days and metamorphosis takes place at about 45–65 days.[3][9][19]
The diet of Cope's gray treefrog primarily consists of insects such as moths, mites, spiders, plant lice, and harvestmen. Snails have also been observed as a food source. Like most frogs, Dryophytes chrysocelis is an opportunistic feeder and may also eat smaller frogs, including other treefrogs.[20] Once the breeding season is over, Cope's gray treefrogs will forage continuously until winter.[21]
Dryophytes chrysoscelis is capable of surviving temperatures as low as –8 °C.[22]
References
^IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2022). "Dryophytes chrysoscelis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T55448A196334128. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T55448A196334128.en. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
^Hyla chrysoscelis, Amphibian Species of the World 5.6
^ abcdMartof, B. S., et al. (1980). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN0-8078-4252-4.
^Family Group Names in Diptera 2008-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
^Tesler, P. Exploratorium The Amazing, Adaptable Frog. The Exploratorium. San Francisco.
^Bogart, James P.; Jaslow, Alan P. (1979). Distribution and call parameters of Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor in Michigan. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. ISBN0-88854-229-1.
^Sargent. (1969). A suggestion regarding hindwing diversity among moths of the genus Catocala OF (Noctuidae). 2007-03-13 at the Wayback MachineJournal of the Lepidopterists' Society 23: 261-264.
^ abTyning, T. F. (1990). A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN0-316-81719-8.
^"Species profile: Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)". Savannah River Ecology Laboratory - University of Georgia.
^Costanzo, Jon (May 1, 1992). "Freeze Tolerance as an Overwintering Adaptation in Cope's Grey Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)". Copeia. 1992 (2). doi:10.2307/1446222. JSTOR 1446222.
^Pittman; Jendrek, A.L; Price, S.; Dorcas, M.E (2008). "Habitat Selection and Site Fidelity of Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) at the Aquatic-Terrestrial Ecotone". Journal of Herpetology. 42 (2): 378–385. doi:10.1670/07-1702.1. S2CID 86035585.
^Lee, N., Ward, J. L., Vélez, A., Micheyl, C., & Bee, M. A. (2017). Frogs exploit statistical regularities in noisy acoustic scenes to solve cocktail-party-like problems. Current Biology, 27(5), 743–750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.01.031
^Bee, Mark A.; Vélez, Alejandro; Forester, James D. (2012-05-01). "Sound level discrimination by gray treefrogs in the presence and absence of chorus-shaped noise". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 131 (5): 4188–4195. Bibcode:2012ASAJ..131.4188B. doi:10.1121/1.3699271. ISSN 0001-4966. PMC3356323. PMID 22559390.
^Resetarits, Jr., William J. (1989). "Choice of oviposition site by Hyla chrysoscelis: role of predators and competitors". Ecology. 70 (1): 220–228. doi:10.2307/1938428. JSTOR 1938428.
^Pintar, Matthew R.; Resetarits, Jr., William J. (2017). "Out with the old, in with the new: oviposition preference matches larval success in Cope's gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis" (PDF). Journal of Herpetology. 51 (2): 186–189. doi:10.1670/16-019. S2CID 53633353.
^Pintar, Matthew R.; Resetarits, Jr., William J. (2017). "Relative predation risk and risk of desiccation co-determine oviposition preferences in Cope's gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis". Oecologia. 184 (2): 423–430. Bibcode:2017Oecol.184..423P. doi:10.1007/s00442-017-3875-7. PMID 28470466. S2CID 2743867.
^Rubio, M. Atlanta's Backyard Herps. Accessed 2 June 2013.
^Conant, Roger (1975). A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Isabelle Hunt Conant ([2d ed.] ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN0-395-19979-4. OCLC 1423604.
^Ritke, M. E., Babb, J. G., & Ritke, M. K. (1992). Temporal patterns of reproductive activity in the gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis). Journal of Herpetology, 26(1), 107-111.
^do Amaral, M. C. F., Frisbie, J., Goldstein, D. L., & Krane, C. M. (2018). The cryoprotectant system of Cope’s gray treefrog, Dryophytes chrysoscelis: responses to cold acclimation, freezing, and thawing. Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology, 188(4), 611–621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-018-1153-6
February 25, 2023
cope, gray, treefrog, dryophytes, chrysoscelis, species, treefrog, found, united, states, almost, indistinguishable, from, gray, treefrog, dryophytes, versicolor, shares, much, geographic, range, both, species, variable, color, mottled, gray, gray, green, rese. Cope s gray treefrog 2 Dryophytes chrysoscelis is a species of treefrog found in the United States It is almost indistinguishable from the gray treefrog Dryophytes versicolor and shares much of its geographic range Both species are variable in color mottled gray to gray green resembling the bark of trees These are treefrogs of woodland habitats though they will sometimes travel into more open areas to reach a breeding pond The only readily noticeable difference between the two species is the mating call Cope s has a faster paced and slightly higher pitched call than D versicolor In addition D chrysoscelis is reported to be slightly smaller more arboreal and more tolerant of dry conditions than D versicolor 3 Cope s gray treefrog source source Conservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass AmphibiaOrder AnuraFamily HylidaeGenus DryophytesSpecies D chrysoscelisBinomial nameDryophytes chrysoscelis Cope 1880 SynonymsHyla chrysoscelis Cope 1880 Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Behavior 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksTaxonomy EditEdward Drinker Cope described the species in 1880 The specific name chrysoscelis is from Greek chrysos gold and scelis leg 4 Microscopic inspection of the chromosomes of D chrysoscelis and D versicolor reveals differences in chromosome number D chrysoscelis is diploid having two complete sets of chromosomes the usual condition in vertebrates D versicolor is tetraploid having double the usual number of chromosomes Generally D versicolor is believed to have evolved from D chrysoscelis in the last major ice age when areas of extremely low temperatures divided populations Despite currently sharing habitat the two species generally do not interbreed D chrysoscelis is known to be largely intersterile with D versicolor but there may be a limited amount of interfertility in sympatry To enforce speciation there may be unknown mechanisms of reinforcement deployed between these species and further research may be fruitful 5 Description Edit Showing variation in color Both D chrysoscelis and D versicolor have black marked bright orange to yellow patches on their hind legs which distinguishes them from other treefrogs such as D avivoca 3 The bright yellow pattern is normally hidden but exposed when the frog leaps This flash pattern likely serves to startle a predator as the frog makes its escape 6 The pattern and color variations of skin for this species will change depending on the environment they are found in 7 Similar hidden bright patterns are common in various Lepidoptera for instance moths of the genus Catocala 8 Both species of gray treefrogs are slightly sexually dimorphic Males have black or gray throats in the breeding season while the throats of the females are lighter 9 D chrysoscelis male showing black throat Skin secretions from this species may be irritating or toxic to mouth eyes other mucous membranes 10 Distribution and habitat EditThe range of D chrysoscelis is more southerly it is apparently the species found in the lower elevation Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia and the Carolinas In those areas D versicolor may be present only in the Appalachians 3 While this species is most abundant in the southeast it can be found as far north as Minnesota D chrysoscelis has also been observed to practice freeze tolerance in a lab setting which could help it survive in cold climates 11 These frogs are one of the very few that can mobilize glycerol as a cryoprotectant Glycerol production is low when the temperature is warmer but when it gets colder the glycerol in the body is rapidly produced 12 They prefer to perch on pipes located along the edges of wetlands and close to trees which suggests that the terrestrial habitat surrounding wetlands is an important component of the species habitat 13 The bird voiced treefrog D avivoca is similar to D chrysoscelis and D versicolor but is smaller 25 50 mm in length vs 32 62 mm for the gray treefrog Behavior Edit Metamorphs are typically green source source source source source source source source source source Male calling In the Southeastern United States Cope s gray treefrog breeds and calls from May to August Isolated males start calling from woodland areas during warm weather a week or more before migrating to temporary ponds to breed There they form aggregations choruses and call together Chorusing is most frequent at night but individuals often call during daytime in response to thunder or other loud noises These individual calls are produced at high sound pressure levels SPLs reaching 85 to 90 dB and sustained noise levels in choruses commonly range between 70 and 80 dB SPL 14 Female treefrogs have been found to be able to differentiate calls at scales of up to a few decibals 15 Eggs are laid in batches of 10 to 40 on the surfaces of shallow ponds and other small bodies of water These temporary bodies of water usually lack fish and females preferentially lay their eggs in water bodies that lack fish or other predatory vertebrates and have lower desiccation risk 16 17 18 Eggs hatch in about five days and metamorphosis takes place at about 45 65 days 3 9 19 The diet of Cope s gray treefrog primarily consists of insects such as moths mites spiders plant lice and harvestmen Snails have also been observed as a food source Like most frogs Dryophytes chrysocelis is an opportunistic feeder and may also eat smaller frogs including other treefrogs 20 Once the breeding season is over Cope s gray treefrogs will forage continuously until winter 21 Dryophytes chrysoscelis is capable of surviving temperatures as low as 8 C 22 References Edit IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group 2022 Dryophytes chrysoscelis IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022 e T55448A196334128 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2022 1 RLTS T55448A196334128 en Retrieved 2 December 2022 Hyla chrysoscelis Amphibian Species of the World 5 6 a b c d Martof B S et al 1980 Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia Chapel Hill University of North Carolina Press ISBN 0 8078 4252 4 Family Group Names in Diptera Archived 2008 04 11 at the Wayback Machine Noor Mohamed A F 1999 Reinforcement and other consequences of sympatry Heredity The Genetics Society Nature 83 5 503 508 doi 10 1038 sj hdy 6886320 ISSN 0018 067X PMID 10620021 Tesler P Exploratorium The Amazing Adaptable Frog The Exploratorium San Francisco Bogart James P Jaslow Alan P 1979 Distribution and call parameters of Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor in Michigan Toronto Royal Ontario Museum ISBN 0 88854 229 1 Sargent 1969 A suggestion regarding hindwing diversity among moths of the genus Catocala OF Noctuidae Archived 2007 03 13 at the Wayback Machine Journal of the Lepidopterists Society 23 261 264 a b Tyning T F 1990 A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles Boston Little Brown and Company ISBN 0 316 81719 8 Species profile Cope s Gray Treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia Costanzo Jon May 1 1992 Freeze Tolerance as an Overwintering Adaptation in Cope s Grey Treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis Copeia 1992 2 doi 10 2307 1446222 JSTOR 1446222 Amarl M C F 2018 Pittman Jendrek A L Price S Dorcas M E 2008 Habitat Selection and Site Fidelity of Cope s Gray Treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis at the Aquatic Terrestrial Ecotone Journal of Herpetology 42 2 378 385 doi 10 1670 07 1702 1 S2CID 86035585 Lee N Ward J L Velez A Micheyl C amp Bee M A 2017 Frogs exploit statistical regularities in noisy acoustic scenes to solve cocktail party like problems Current Biology 27 5 743 750 https doi org 10 1016 j cub 2017 01 031 Bee Mark A Velez Alejandro Forester James D 2012 05 01 Sound level discrimination by gray treefrogs in the presence and absence of chorus shaped noise The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 131 5 4188 4195 Bibcode 2012ASAJ 131 4188B doi 10 1121 1 3699271 ISSN 0001 4966 PMC 3356323 PMID 22559390 Resetarits Jr William J 1989 Choice of oviposition site by Hyla chrysoscelis role of predators and competitors Ecology 70 1 220 228 doi 10 2307 1938428 JSTOR 1938428 Pintar Matthew R Resetarits Jr William J 2017 Out with the old in with the new oviposition preference matches larval success in Cope s gray treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis PDF Journal of Herpetology 51 2 186 189 doi 10 1670 16 019 S2CID 53633353 Pintar Matthew R Resetarits Jr William J 2017 Relative predation risk and risk of desiccation co determine oviposition preferences in Cope s gray treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis Oecologia 184 2 423 430 Bibcode 2017Oecol 184 423P doi 10 1007 s00442 017 3875 7 PMID 28470466 S2CID 2743867 Rubio M Atlanta s Backyard Herps Accessed 2 June 2013 Conant Roger 1975 A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of Eastern and Central North America Isabelle Hunt Conant 2d ed ed Boston Houghton Mifflin ISBN 0 395 19979 4 OCLC 1423604 Ritke M E Babb J G amp Ritke M K 1992 Temporal patterns of reproductive activity in the gray treefrog Hyla chrysoscelis Journal of Herpetology 26 1 107 111 Adaptations of Frogs to Survive Freezing 1 Further reading EditMary Hoff March April 2014 Chirp Croak Snore DNR Minnesota Conservation Volunteer 32 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyla chrysoscelis Hyla chrysoscelis Amphibiaweb Accessed 2 June 2013 Hyla chrysoscelis NatureServe Accessed 2 June 2013 Portal Frogs do Amaral M C F Frisbie J Goldstein D L amp Krane C M 2018 The cryoprotectant system of Cope s gray treefrog Dryophytes chrysoscelis responses to cold acclimation freezing and thawing Journal of Comparative Physiology B Biochemical Systemic and Environmental Physiology 188 4 611 621 https doi org 10 1007 s00360 018 1153 6 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cope 27s gray treefrog amp oldid 1141143805, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
