Northern Green Frog

Northern Green Frog
Female, Tewksbury Township, New Jersey
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Ranidae
Genus:	Rana
Species:	R. clamitans
Subspecies:	R. c. melanota
Trinomial name
Rana clamitans melanota (Rafinesque, 1820)
Synonyms
Lithobates clamitans melanotus

The Northern Green Frog (Rana clamitans melanota,^[1] also known as Lithobates clamitans melanota^[2]) is a subspecies of the Green Frog, Rana clamitans. It is native to the northeastern North America and has been introduced to British Columbia.^[3] Its mating call sounds like the single note of a plucked banjo. It is also quite common in the pet trade.

Description

Back view, Temagami, Ontario

Adult Green Frogs attain a snout-vent length of 5.5 to 9 cm (2¹/₄ to 31/₂ inches). The ground color is green or brownish-green. Where the green back and sides fade into the white belly and chest there may be some black mottling. Some individuals may have light gray mottling on the chest. The most prominent feature is the pair of dorsolateral folds extending from behind the tympanic membranes to just beyond half way down the back. The male’s single vocal sac is internal. When it calls, the throat swells, but the vocal sac is not visible.

Habitat

The Northern Green frog dwells in marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes, springs, and other aquatic environment. It is active both day and night.^[4]

References

1. ^ Green Frog, Metro Toronto Zoo
2. ^ Lithobates clamitans melanota, Green Frog, CARCNET
3. ^ Green Frog, Gov. of British Columbia, Ministry of the Environment
4. ^ Green Frog, Canadian Biodiversity Web Site

External links

• Green Frog, Nova Scotia Frogs
• Green Frog, Natural Resources Canada