Blanchard's Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi)
Description and Morphological Characteristics
Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs are small frogs, ranging 5/8 to 1 ½ inches in length. They have a long snout that is rounded and blunt, and are wartier when compared to other species of cricket frogs. Color varies and can range from light gray to greenish-brown, with splotches of gray, red, or green in the middle of the back being common. A dark triangle between the eyes is a distinctive marking, but can differ in intensity between individuals. Some may have dark bands on their hindlegs and most feature a dark, jagged stripe on the back surface of each thigh. The belly and throat are white, sometimes yellow, and males have a yellow or gray area on their vocal sac. Prominent anal warts are common. All toes on the hindfoot, except the fourth, are extensively webbed.
Range
The native range of this species extends from West Virginia, west to Kansas and Oklahoma, and from southern Michigan and Wisconsin, south through Louisiana. In Texas, the species is absent in the Texas panhandle and western parts of the state. Some populations have been found in western Mississippi but current status in unknown.
Habitat and Feeding
These frogs prefer shallow, permanent bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, mudflats, slow-moving streams, and marshes, with floating vegetation and grasses around the edges. This species is both nocturnal and diurnal and spends most of the day under the cover of vegetative debris and hidden in grasses, but can also be seen basking in full sun. They primarily feed on small insects.
Breeding and Reproduction
Breeding occurs during spring and summer, ranging from late February to the end of July. In southern portions of the range, breeding begins earlier and ends later compare to northern populations. Males form choruses and can often be heard calling in broad daylight. Males form choruses and can often be heard calling in broad daylight. The advertisement call is a staccato clicking which resembles the sound of two stones being tapped together and is repeated several times in quick succession. Calls begin slowly and gradually increase in speed before ending abruptly. Females can lay up to 400 eggs at one time either singly or in small clusters. Tadpoles metamorphose within 35-70 days.
Conservation
This species is abundant throughout most of its range but declines have been observed in the northern and western portions of its range for the past few decades. The reason for their decline is not entirely known but can likely be attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation, local pesticide use, pollution, and climate change. Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs are not listed at the federal level, but are considered threatened or endangered in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Pertinent References
Gary, R. H., Brown, L. E., Blackburn, L. 2005. Northern Cricket Frog. Pp. 441-443 in M. Lannoo (Ed.), Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, USA.
Horne, E. A., Foulks, S., and Bello, N. M. 2014. Visual Display in Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs (Acris blanchardi). Southwestern Naturalist 59:409-413.
Russell, R. W., Lipps, G. J., Jr, Hecnar, S. J., and Haffner, G. D. 2002. Persistent Organic Pollutants in Blanchard's Cricket Frogs. The Ohio Journal of Science 102:119-122.
Account Author: Hailey Hester
Photos: James Childress
Edited by Christopher Schalk
Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs are small frogs, ranging 5/8 to 1 ½ inches in length. They have a long snout that is rounded and blunt, and are wartier when compared to other species of cricket frogs. Color varies and can range from light gray to greenish-brown, with splotches of gray, red, or green in the middle of the back being common. A dark triangle between the eyes is a distinctive marking, but can differ in intensity between individuals. Some may have dark bands on their hindlegs and most feature a dark, jagged stripe on the back surface of each thigh. The belly and throat are white, sometimes yellow, and males have a yellow or gray area on their vocal sac. Prominent anal warts are common. All toes on the hindfoot, except the fourth, are extensively webbed.
Range
The native range of this species extends from West Virginia, west to Kansas and Oklahoma, and from southern Michigan and Wisconsin, south through Louisiana. In Texas, the species is absent in the Texas panhandle and western parts of the state. Some populations have been found in western Mississippi but current status in unknown.
Habitat and Feeding
These frogs prefer shallow, permanent bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, mudflats, slow-moving streams, and marshes, with floating vegetation and grasses around the edges. This species is both nocturnal and diurnal and spends most of the day under the cover of vegetative debris and hidden in grasses, but can also be seen basking in full sun. They primarily feed on small insects.
Breeding and Reproduction
Breeding occurs during spring and summer, ranging from late February to the end of July. In southern portions of the range, breeding begins earlier and ends later compare to northern populations. Males form choruses and can often be heard calling in broad daylight. Males form choruses and can often be heard calling in broad daylight. The advertisement call is a staccato clicking which resembles the sound of two stones being tapped together and is repeated several times in quick succession. Calls begin slowly and gradually increase in speed before ending abruptly. Females can lay up to 400 eggs at one time either singly or in small clusters. Tadpoles metamorphose within 35-70 days.
Conservation
This species is abundant throughout most of its range but declines have been observed in the northern and western portions of its range for the past few decades. The reason for their decline is not entirely known but can likely be attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation, local pesticide use, pollution, and climate change. Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs are not listed at the federal level, but are considered threatened or endangered in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Pertinent References
Gary, R. H., Brown, L. E., Blackburn, L. 2005. Northern Cricket Frog. Pp. 441-443 in M. Lannoo (Ed.), Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, USA.
Horne, E. A., Foulks, S., and Bello, N. M. 2014. Visual Display in Blanchard’s Cricket Frogs (Acris blanchardi). Southwestern Naturalist 59:409-413.
Russell, R. W., Lipps, G. J., Jr, Hecnar, S. J., and Haffner, G. D. 2002. Persistent Organic Pollutants in Blanchard's Cricket Frogs. The Ohio Journal of Science 102:119-122.
Account Author: Hailey Hester
Photos: James Childress
Edited by Christopher Schalk
