Description
Pseudacris streckeri can reach a maximum size of 48 mm. It is the largest of the chorus frogs, with a stout, toadlike body and forearms. This frog has a dark stripe through its eyes from snout to shoulder, dark spots along the side of the body, dark blotches on the dorsum (back), a white belly, and yellow or orange-yellow pigmentation on the groin. Coloration may be gray, brown, olive, or green in the subspecies P. streckeri streckeri, but the dorsum is never green in the subspecies P. streckeri illinoisensis. Most P. streckeri have a dark spot below the eye. P. streckeri can be distinguished from all other chorus frogs within its range by its lack of a continuous light line along the upper lip. During the breeding season, the vocal pouch of the male becomes dark.

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: United States

U.S. state distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (8 records).

One subspecies, P. s. streckeri, occurs in south-central Kansas through Oklahoma and down into eastern Texas, as well as west-central Arkansas and western Louisiana. This subspecies can be found in a variety of habitats: shady woods, stream edges, cultivated fields, rocky ravines, sand prairies, or associated with lagoons or cypress swamps. The other subspecies, P. s. illinoisensis, is found in disjunct populations in west-central and southwest Illinois, southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas. It prefers mainly sand prairies and cultivated fields.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors

This nocturnal frog is fossorial, burrowing in the soil in order to shield itself from predation and heat. While most burrowing frogs dig backward with their hind legs, P. streckeri is unusual in digging forward with its front legs and entering the hole headfirst. It is one of only a handful of burrowing frog species to do so.

It emerges from the sand after early spring rains in order to breed. P. streckeri breeds in flooded fields, ditches, small ponds, and vernal pools. The breeding call of Strecker's Chorus Frog is composed of a series of clear, high-pitched single-note whistles, resembling that of Pseudacris ornata, the Ornate Chorus Frog. The sound of a large chorus of P. streckeri has been described as "a rapidly turning pulley wheel badly in need of greasing." Eggs are deposited in water attached to submerged vegetation, and hatch within a few days; the tadpoles transform in two months.

Trends and Threats
The subspecies P. s. illinoisensis has been reported to be threatened in Illinois by the Illinois Natural History Survey.

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Drainage of habitat

References

Conant, R. and Collins, J.T. (1998). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.

Trauth, S. E., Robison, H. W., and Plummer, M. V. (2004). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“Anura Pseudacris streckeri: Strecker’s chorus frog.” INHS Amphibian and Reptile Collection. 5 Apr. 2004. Illinois Natural History Survey. 6 Oct. 2005 .

“Pseudacris streckeri: Strecker’s Chorus frog.” Herps of Texas Frogs and Toads. 25 Nov. 1998. University of Texas College of Natural Sciences and the Texas Memorial Museum. 6 Oct. 2005 .

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Pseudacris streckeri: Strecker's Chorus Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/1060> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 7, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 7 Nov 2024.

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