About Pseudacris maculata (Agassiz, 1850)
This small frog species reaches approximately 30 millimeters in length. Its appearance is highly variable; it is normally brown, but can have a green dorsal surface, with three broken dorsal stripes that range from very distinct to quite faint. A dark band runs from the snout, across the eye, and continues down the side of the body. It has slightly enlarged toe pads that help it climb small grasses and other vegetation. This species is very similar to the western chorus frog, Pseudacris triseriata, and can be told apart from that species by its shorter legs. This species lives around permanent water bodies in both cleared land and forest. From April through September, males produce a "reeeek" call from grasses, vegetation, or the ground around these water bodies. This call is characteristic of the trilling frog clade within the genus Pseudacris. This clade gets its name because each individual’s call is unique, with its own series of pulses. Within the trilling frog clade, members are further split into "dynamic" and "static" groups, and recent studies place P. maculata in the static grouping. The static grouping is defined by a lack of variability in an individual’s call, plus the ability to somewhat control the direction of calls. Amphibian calls are commonly used for sexual selection, but a 2010 study by Bee et al. found no direct correlation linked to sexual selection. The researchers did find a connection between the lowest note of the call and body size, but did not have enough evidence to draw further conclusions. Every call in the study was different, but differences were subtle and required complex technology to detect. This similarity in calls means the frogs cannot distinguish between individual calls. It has been hypothesized that calls simply broadcast a caller’s position: to tell other calling males to stay away, and to let females know a receptive male is present. This is usually one of the first amphibian species to emerge in spring. It emerges so early that it is often still found when snow and ice are present. This emergence timing directly correlates with snow melt and the water level of the water body that the population inhabits. Pseudacris maculata is an annual breeder. Breeding occurs once the weather starts to warm, typically from late February to around April. After mating, a single female can lay between 500 and 1500 eggs, with a highly variable hatching rate that ranges from 37% to 87%. Tadpoles complete metamorphosis around June or July. In the wild, the metamorphosis survival rate also has a very wide range, from 10% to 100%.
