Upland Chorus Frog

Pseudacris feriarum

Photo by Teresa Fogus

Species Description:  They may attain a snout-vent length of 1.5 inches (3.8 cm).  There are three dark stripes running longitudinally along the back against a cream background.  There is a dark triangular spot between the eyes and they have a white line along the upper lip.  The heel of the hindlegs, when extended forward along the sides, does not reach the eye (unlike the Mountain Chorus Frog).

Habitat:  Upland Chorus Frogs live in swampy areas of broad valleys, grassy swales, moist woodlands, or around heavily vegetated ponds.  They are very secretive and difficult to locate.

Breeding Activity:  Males begin calling around late February to early March.  Their call is similar to the sound made by running fingers down the teeth of a comb and is lower pitched and slower than that of the Mountain Chorus Frog.  Females deposit up to 1,000 eggs attached to vegetation in the water.  Eggs hatch in 3 to 4 days and the tadpole stage lasts about 60 days. 

Range:  In West Virginia, they are confined to the ridge and valley province in the eastern panhandle. As of the late 1980s, they are no longer found in the southern counties.

Status: S2, G5

Red denotes probably extirpated counties

Blue denotes current range