1 / 55

Amphibians of Florida

Amphibians of Florida. Amphibians. Moist glandular skin (NO SCALES!) Pass (aquatic) larval stage as young Amphibios – From the Greek meaning “living a double life” Toes without claws Made up of three Orders: Anura (frogs & toads) Caudata (salamanders) Gymnophiona (caecilians).

Sharon_Dale
Download Presentation

Amphibians of Florida

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Amphibians of Florida

  2. Amphibians • Moist glandular skin (NO SCALES!) • Pass (aquatic) larval stage as young • Amphibios – From the Greek meaning “living a double life” • Toes without claws • Made up of three Orders: • Anura (frogs & toads) • Caudata (salamanders) • Gymnophiona (caecilians)

  3. Order Anura • FROGS!!!! • Thick head and body with long, strong legs • Often advertise presence (especially during the breeding season) with a wide range of calls

  4. Family Bufonidae • Toads! • Have dry, glandular (warty) skin • Hop

  5. Bufo marinus • EXOTIC! (South America) • Huge size • Skin gland secretions can be highly toxic • Marine Toad / Giant Toad / Cane Toad

  6. Bufo quercicus • Tiny size • Conspicuous, light middorsal stripe • Oak Toad Photo By: J. Jensen

  7. Bufo terrestris • Large knobs & high cranial crests • Extremely abundant • Southern Toad Photo By: T. Blunden Photo By: J. Jensen

  8. Family Hylidae • Cricket Frogs, Treefrogs & Chorus Frogs! Acris Hyla Pseudacris • Many species have enlarged, round toepads • Mostly relatively small-sized • Known for their wide variety of vocalizations

  9. Acris gryllus • Small size with slightly warty skin • Often bright green Y between eyes extends down the back • In Florida, back of thigh has two dark stripes • Southern Cricket Frog Photo By: W. Knapp

  10. Hyla avivoca • Greyish overall coloration with white spot under eye • Inner sides of thigh with greenish-yellowish wash • Similar to but smaller than Hyla chrysoscelis • Bird-voiced Treefrog Photos By: W. Knapp

  11. Hyla chrysoscelis • Greyish overall coloration with white spot under the eye • Inner thighs with orange – yellow wash • Similar to but larger than Hyla avivoca • Cope’s Gray Treefrog Photo By: W. Knapp

  12. Hyla cineria • Long body shape • Well defined light lateral line • Many have tiny golden spots on their backs Photo By: T. Blunden Photo By: T. Blunden Green Treefrog

  13. Hyla femoralis Photo By: W. Knapp • Bright yellow-orange spots on inside of thigh (femoralis….) • Very variable overall coloration (grey, green, brown, patterned, uniform etc) • Pine Woods Treefrog Photos By: W. Kapp

  14. Hyla gratiosa • Large round spots on back • Rugose skin • Large size • Large toepads • Dependent on fishless, ephemeral ponds for breeding • Barking Treefrog Photo By: T. Blunden Photo By: T. Blunden Photo By: T. Blunden

  15. Hyla squirrela • Rule out other frogs first! • Extremely variable overall coloration • No strong inner thigh markings • Extremely common, even in residential areas • Squirrel Treefrog Photo By: J. Jensen

  16. Osteopilus septentrionalis • Introduced species • Large!! • Forehead skin fused to bone • Usually a yellow wash near groin • Often found in urban/suburban environments, but can also invades natural areas • Range is still expanding northward. • CubanTreefrog

  17. Pseudacris crucifer • Dark imperfect “X” marking on back • Pinkish, yellowish, brown or grey background color • Early winter breeder • Spring Peeper Photo By: J. Jensen

  18. Pseudacris nigrita Photo By: J. Jensen • Three dorsal stripes (tend to break up near groin) • Prominent white lip line • Southern Chorus Frog Photo By: W. Kapp

  19. Pseudacris ocularis • Smallest Frog in North America • Prominent dark line through eye (ocularis...) • Usually found in small grassy wetlands • Little Grass Frog Photo By: T. Blunden

  20. Pseudacris ornata • Black mask-like stripe through eye • Ornate Chorus Frog • Dark spots on sides & near groin Photo By: A. Day

  21. Family Leptodactylidae • 1,110 species including 700 in the genus Eleutherodactylus (largest vertebrate genus) • Usually small • Mostly Tropical

  22. Eleutherodactylus planirostrus • Introduced species • Small terrestrial frog • Call is very insect like • Undergoes metamorphosis in the egg (there is no free swimming larvae) • Greenhouse Frog Photo By: T. Blunden

  23. Family Microhylidae • Narrow-mouthed frogs (Also known as Sheepfrogs) • Characterized by skin fold across back of head • Specialize on beetles, ants & ant lions

  24. Gastrophryne carolinensis • Tiny, pointy head, fat round body • Skin fold on back of head • Eastern Narrowmouth Toad Photo By: W. Kapp

  25. Family Pelobatidae • American Spadefoots • Use single, bladelike spade on back feet to burrow rapidly down in loose soil • Explosive breeders after heavy rains

  26. Scaphiophus holbrookii • Horny black spade on hind foot • Vertical pupil • Pale lyre / hourglass shape on dark back • Eastern Spadefoot Toad Photo By: W. Knapp Photo By: W. Kapp Photo By: A. Day

  27. Family Ranidae • True frogs! • Typical frogs with long legs, narrow waists and smooth, moist skin • Many have dorsolateral folds • Leap • Found on all continents except Antartica • Source of culinary frog legs

  28. Rana capito • Short body, pointy snout • Light background color with large dark spots • Found in xeric uplands • Usually uses Gopher Tortoise burrows as refugia • Gopher Frog Photo By: T. Blunden

  29. Rana catesbiana • Mostly plain green or brown above • No dorsolateral ridges • Some mottling below • Webbing on 4th hind toes does not fully extend to tip • Bull Frog Photo by T. Blunden Photo By: J. Jensen

  30. Rana clamitans • Plain brown/bronzy back • Incomplete dorsolateral ridges • Center of tympanum elevated • Green / Bronze Frog Photo By: J. Jensen

  31. Rana grylio • Large, plain frog, very sim. to R. catesbiana • Webbing on 4th hind toes extends fully to tip • No dorsolateral ridges • Pig Frog Photo By: T. Lamb

  32. Rana heckscheri • Large, greenish black frog with light spots on the lips • No dorsolateral ridges • Dark below with light markings • River Frog Photo By: A. Day

  33. Rana sphenocephala • Green or brown frog with darker spots • Strong dorsolateral ridges, often light colored • Light spot in center of tympanum • Southern / Florida Leopard Frog • Called Rana utricularia in Peterson’s Field Guide Photo By: D. Stevenson

  34. Order Caudata • SALAMANDERS!!!! • The Americas have more salamanders than the rest of the world combined, and the southeastern US has more salamanders than anywhere else in North America.

  35. Family Ambystomatidae • Mole salamanders! • Fossorial • Tend to be stout with large heads

  36. Ambystoma cingulatum • Medium background color with lighter, netlike pattern • Rare species • Inhabitant of longleaf pine-wiregrass flatwoods with cypress heads • Dependent on fishless ponds to breed • Flatwoods Salamander Photo By: J. Jensen

  37. Ambystoma talpoidium • Chunky body with large head • Dark overall coloration with bluish-grey flecks • Mole Salamander Photos By: J. Jensen

  38. Family Amphiumidae • Eel-like • Tiny front AND back legs • No external gills

  39. Amphiuma means • Eel-like, LARGE • Four tiny legs with two toes each • Almost completely aquatic, but may move overland on extremely wet nights in flooded areas • Two-toed Amphiuma, congo eel, conger eel, lamper eel, ditch eel Photo By: J. Jensen Photo By: K. Sorenson

  40. Family Plethodontidae • Lungless salamanders! • Respire through the skin • Tend to be slender with long tails • Have a nasolabial groove • Found most commonly in areas with some kind of running water (streams, seeps, springs & waterfalls)

  41. Desmognathus apalachicola • 10-14 pairs of light, often coalescing dorsal spots w/ black fringes • Belly pure white • Apalachicola Dusky Salamander

  42. Desmognathus auriculatus • Dark overall • Series of “portholes” along sides of body and tail • Associated with cypress ponds and stagnant pools • Southern Dusky Salamander Photo by: B. Means

  43. Eurycea cirrigera • Two dark lines bordering yellowish middorsal stripe • Tail longer than body • Five toes on hind feet • Southern Two-lined Salamander Photo By: J. Jensen

  44. Eurycea longicauda • Three dark stripes on yellow background • Tail longer than body • Five toes on hind feet • Three-lined Salamander (listed as Eurycea longicauda guttolineatta in Peterson’s) Photo By: J. Jensen

  45. Eurycea quadridigittata • Very tiny size • Four toes on hind feet • Three dark stripes on lighter background • Dwarf Salamander Photo By: D. Stevenson

  46. Plethodon grobmani • Long, skinny, mostly black salamander with light flecks • Distinct costal grooves • Southeastern Slimy Salamander (part of P.glutinosus complex)

  47. Pseudotriton montanus • Plain rusty brown color above • Pale venter with sparse dark speckles • Eastern / Rusty Mud Salamander (listed as P. m. floridanus in guide) Photo By: W. Van Devender

  48. Pseudotriton ruber • Reddish orange above with white flecking, esp. concentrated on head • Belly pale with many small black speckles • Red Salamander (ours listed as P. r. vioscai in guide) Photo By: J. Jensen

  49. Family Salamandridae • Newts! • Terrestrial stage with rough, glandular skin • Some species may have complicated life cycles: Egg  Larva  Eft  Adult AQUATIC AQUATIC TERRESTRIAL AQUATIC

  50. Notopthalmus perstriatus • Small with rough skin • Light colored with dark spots • Red dorsolateral stripes (faint on specimen – look hard!) • Dependent on fishless ponds to breed – RARE • Striped Newt Photos By: J. Jensen

More Related