Baja California chorus frog

Baja California chorus frog
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Hylidae
Genus:	Pseudacris
Species:	P. hypochondriaca
Binomial name
	Pseudacris hypochondriaca; (Hallowell, 1854)
Synonyms
	Hyla scapularis var. hypochondriaca Hallowell, 1854

The Baja California chorus frog (Pseudacris hypochondriaca) is a cathemeral species of treefrog of Western North America.^[1] It was formerly considered as a population of the Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla), but was split and raised to species status in 2006. The species ranges from the West Coast of the United States from Baja California through southern California. Individuals live from sea level to more than 10,000 feet in many types of habitats, reproducing in aquatic settings.

Description

The Baja California chorus frog can grow .75 - 2 inches long from snout to vent (1.9 - 5.1 cm).^[2]

It has a dark stripe that extends from its nostrils through the eyes to shoulders. It can be a variety of colors, including green, tan, brown, gray, reddish, and cream, and has the ability to change color in response to environmental conditions. The dark stripe does not change color, but the body color and markings can change hue, chroma, and lightness to aide with camouflage.^[2] The belly is pale with yellow underneath the legs. There is also a Y-shaped or triangular marking between the eyes, a common feature in chorus frogs. It has large toe pads that aid it in climbing trees, although it is not technically a tree frog, and mostly a ground-dweller.

The male's throat is dark colored.

Taxonomy

Baja California chorus frogs have long been known as Pacific chorus frogs (Pseudacris regilla or Hyla regilla). However, in 2006, that taxonomic concept was split into three species based on mitochondrial DNA comparisons.^[3] Recuero et al. attached the name Pseudacris regilla to the northern species, renaming the central species the Sierran tree frog (Pseudacris sierra) and the southern species the Baja California tree frog (Pseudacris hypochondriaca). Because the paper provided no maps or discussion of how to diagnose the species, it has been an extremely controversial taxonomic revision,^[4] but has been incorporated into Amphibian Species of the World 6.0.^[1] The taxonomic confusion introduced by this name change means that much of the information about Pseudacris hypochondriaca is attached to the name "Pseudacris regilla".

Cultural importance

Because this species of chorus frog is found near Hollywood, its vocalizations have frequently been used as stock sounds for film and television. As a result, its distinctive advertising call of "ribbit, ribbit" has become a standard representation of frog vocalizations in the English-speaking world, despite the fact that only it and a few closely related species actually make the sound.^[5]^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Pseudacris hypochondriaca (Hallowell, 1854)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Baja California Treefrog - Pseudacris hypochondriaca hypochondriaca". californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
^ Recuero, Ernesto; Martínez-Solano, Íñigo; Parra-Olea, Gabriela; García-París, Mario (2006). "Phylogeography of Pseudacris regilla (Anura: Hylidae) in western North America, with a proposal for a new taxonomic rearrangement" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 39 (2): 293–304. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.10.011. PMID 16627190. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
^ Dodd, C. K., Jr. 2013. Frogs of the United States and Canada. Volume 1. xxxi + 460.
^ "Sounds of the Northern Pacific Treefrog". californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
^ "Have You Heard the Calls from Cook County's 12 Frog and Toad Species?". Forest Preserves of Cook County. May 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2024. Here's a bonus fact: you might notice that none of these species says, "ribbit." In fact, the "ribbit" call is unique to the Pacific tree frog, which lives along the Pacific coast, and, notably, in Hollywood, California, where the largest volume of early frog recordings took place.

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[frost-1] Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Pseudacris hypochondriaca (Hallowell, 1854)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 7 November 2015.

[:0-2] "Baja California Treefrog - Pseudacris hypochondriaca hypochondriaca". californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.

[RecueroEtAl2006-3] Recuero, Ernesto; Martínez-Solano, Íñigo; Parra-Olea, Gabriela; García-París, Mario (2006). "Phylogeography of Pseudacris regilla (Anura: Hylidae) in western North America, with a proposal for a new taxonomic rearrangement" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 39 (2): 293–304. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.10.011. PMID 16627190. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2014-06-04.

[4] Dodd, C. K., Jr. 2013. Frogs of the United States and Canada. Volume 1. xxxi + 460.

[5] "Sounds of the Northern Pacific Treefrog". californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2018-01-08.

[6] "Have You Heard the Calls from Cook County's 12 Frog and Toad Species?". Forest Preserves of Cook County. May 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2024. Here's a bonus fact: you might notice that none of these species says, "ribbit." In fact, the "ribbit" call is unique to the Pacific tree frog, which lives along the Pacific coast, and, notably, in Hollywood, California, where the largest volume of early frog recordings took place.

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