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(Pseudacris triseriata)
Identification: Dark stripe on side of body extends from snout to groin; color of upper side variable—green, brown, reddish, or reddish and green, with green or brown stripes or spots; hind toes not distinctly webbed; head and body length up to about 37 mm (1.5 inches).
Picture by Lauren J. Livo and Steve Wilcox
Mature male:
throat skin loose and yellowish or dark during breeding season; expanded vocal
sac evenly rounded or slightly flattened.
Breeding
call : a
stuttering “preeep” that ascends in pitch.
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Larvae: upper side olive to blackish; tail fin tall, strongly
arched, finely stippled or squiggled with brown; eyes at outside margin of head
when viewed from above; gut more or less visible through pale golden belly skin;
usually 2 rows of tiny teeth on upper lip, 3 rows on lower lip; up to about 52
mm (2 inches) long. |
Eggs: deposited on vegetation in loose, irregular, or elongate
clusters of several to more than 150.
Colorado Distribution: Nearly statewide, from low river valleys to
high mountains, but scarce or absent in most of southeastern Colorado. Common in
many areas.
Habitat: Vicinity of wet meadows, marshes, ponds, and
lakes.
Life History: Breeds in waters lacking a strong current,
especially among submerged plant material, mainly April-June
in lowland areas and mostly May-June in the mountains. Calling often occurs
before and after these periods. Larvae metamorphose into small frogs as early as
early June in lowland areas and as late as September in the
mountains.
Note: Some herpetologists refer to this frog as the Boreal Chorus
Frog (Pseudacris maculata).