Acris gryllus (LeConte, 1825)
Southern Cricket Frog, Florida Cricket Frog (A. g. dorsalis), Southern Cricket Frog (A. g. gryllus) | family: Hylidae subfamily: Hylinae genus: Acris |
![]() © 2010 Todd Pierson (1 of 28)
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Description Males have a grayish chest and throat with a round vocal sac. These body areas are usually more spotted in males than females (Stebbins 1954). Acris gryllus can be distinguished from other species of this genus by its longer hind legs and smaller degree of webbing on toes. Specifically, the webbing does not reach the tip of the first toe (Conant and Collins 1991). Distribution and Habitat Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: United States U.S. state distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors Vocal call is a rapid succession of metallic "gick gick gick's" like a rattle. Calls begin at a duration of 1 second intervals but begin to accelerate to a maximum of about 6 calls per second. The clicking of two pebbles can induce Acris gryllus to call. A. g. gryllus breeds from February to October, depending on rainfall, while A. g. dorsalis can breed during any month. Breeding occurs in the water. Females lay eggs one by one and attach them to the rocks and the vegetation of pond bottoms. Eggs are dark brown or black with a tan colored bottom. Tadpoles develop to be 1/2 inch long after about 7-13 weeks. At this point, they are deep-bodied with a lower labium, indentations of a mouth, eyes, and an anus. They are distinguished by a distinct black tipped tail (Behler 1979).
References
Behler, J. L. (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. Cochran, D. M. (1970). The New Field Book of Reptiles and Amphibians. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York. Conant, R. and Collins, J. T. (1991). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern/Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Stebbins, R. C. (1954). Amphibians and Reptiles of Western North America. McGraw-Hill, New York. Originally submitted by: Michelle Iwaki (first posted 2001-04-25) Edited by: Tate Tunstall (2008-02-03) Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Acris gryllus: Southern Cricket Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/671> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed May 3, 2025.
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Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 3 May 2025. AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use. |