Geographic Range
Northern cricket frogs (
Acris crepitans
) are native to the Nearctic region. Northern cricket frogs have a vast habitat range;
they are found in the northernmost regions of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas
in Mexico and extend northward into the southernmost region of Ontario, Canada. In
the continental United States, northern cricket frogs can be found as far west as
Texas and as far east as Virginia. This includes the westernmost parts of Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Northern
cricket frogs can be found along the coastal regions of Texas and Louisiana and parts
of the coastal northeast, from Maryland to Maine. However, they do not inhabit coastal
areas of the Southeast from Virginia to Florida.
Habitat
Northern cricket frogs are widespread and can survive under many environmental conditions. They can live in arid regions, forests, and grasslands. However, the most suitable habitat for northern cricket frogs is in the southeastern United States. They typically live near permanent bodies of water, such as established ponds and lakes.
Northern cricket frog tadpoles prefer to live in shallow water, but water temperature does not seem to affect northern cricket frog tadpoles like it does other species of frogs.
Starting in September, northern cricket frogs migrate to covered microhabitats, where
they create a burrow. Burrowing during winter months ensures that northern cricket
frogs remain moist and do not get too cold. The areas where northern cricket frogs
burrow are usually terrestrial and can be up to 400 m away from the closest body of
water.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- terrestrial
- freshwater
- Terrestrial Biomes
- desert or dune
- savanna or grassland
- forest
- Aquatic Biomes
- lakes and ponds
Physical Description
Northern cricket frogs increase in size as their habitat becomes increasingly dry.
The humidity of a given environment affects their size more so than temperature. Northern
cricket frogs found in the eastern part of their range are smaller (22 to 26 mm) than
cricket frogs found in the western portion of their range (24 to 29mm). Cricket frogs
are polymorphic. They are known to have green, red, or grey dorsal stripes. However,
northern cricket frog individuals with green dorsal stripes are more common than individuals
with red or grey stripes. The variability in dorsal stripes between individuals is
likely due to alleles coding for green and red being dominant over grey. Dorsal stripes
also vary in brightness and hue. Dorsal stripes do not occur until northern cricket
frogs begin going through metamorphosis. Dorsal stripes are not present on tadpoles,
but they are visible on young froglets and adults.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- polymorphic
Development
Northern cricket frogs develop from egg to tadpole in 29 to 90 days, starting in late
July to August. Tadpoles develop into adults after 35 to 70 days. An unusual polymorphism
occurs in northern cricket frog tadpoles that co-occur with dragonfly larvae; in this
situation, tadpoles possess black tails. Tadpoles going through metamorphosis are
more likely to have plain tails in the absence of dragonfly larvae or in the presence
of known predators; this may be a polymorphic defense mechanism against predation.
Juvenile northern cricket frogs reach sexual maturity once they are about 38 mm in
length. This period of growth occurs over a few months, since cricket frogs grow 12
to 28 mm in a 2 to 3 month time span.
- Development - Life Cycle
- metamorphosis
Reproduction
Northern cricket frogs breed in bodies water. Typical breeding habitat consists of river backwaters and semi-permanent or permanent wetlands. Males use vocal calls to attract mates. Females choose males based on call characteristics, including the number of pulses in a call, the dominant frequency of a call, and the number of pulse groups in a call. Females can distinguish males from their home population and neighboring populations based on calls of individual males. Females are more likely to select males from their home population than neighboring populations.
Location and temperature dictates the start of the breeding season for northern cricket
frogs. In Illinois, males arrive at breeding sites before females and start breeding
calls between late April and early May. They continue calling through July. In Iowa,
males are heard from mid-May through July. In the south, (e.g., Texas, Louisiana)
breeding takes place year-round.
Northern cricket frogs employ external fertilization, wherein females lay their eggs
before males fertilize them. Eggs may float on the surface of the water, attach to
underwater stems of aquatic plants, or even sink to the bottom of the body of water.
Females lay up to 400 eggs at once, but do not lay all their eggs in one place. They
are either laid individually or in clusters of up to 7 eggs. Northern cricket frog
eggs are, on average, 1.13 mm in diameter. Time to hatching is 50 to 90 days, and
hatchlings are immediately independent.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- year-round breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- oviparous
In northern cricket frogs, females and males exhibit no parental investment beyond
the acts of egg-laying and fertilization, respectively.
- Parental Investment
- no parental involvement
Lifespan/Longevity
Northern cricket frogs usually live from 4 to 12 months, including the start of metamorphosis.
Frogs generally go through metamorphosis in late summer, around July, and die in the
same month of the following year, provided they survive the winter. Due to their short
lifespans, it is expected that populations of northern cricket frogs are replaced
by a new generation every 16 months. A study in 1983 observed northern cricket frogs
surviving up to two winters, although this is unusual. The longest surviving northern
cricket frog was 3 years old. These frogs are not kept in captivity, and thus there
is no information on their lifespan in captive environments.
Behavior
The behavior of northern cricket frogs has been studied mostly during their breeding season. The proximity of two vocalizing males has an influence on their calling behavior. This is especially true if two neighboring frogs are aggressive towards each other. If two males are showing aggression towards each other, they produce a hormone called arginine vasotoxin, which affects the middle and end of the calls of aggressive males.
In times of drought, northern cricket frogs may inhabit deep cracks of dried-out pond beds to avoid dry conditions. After heavy rains, northern cricket frogs disperse from their current habitat, moving between local populations.
In northern states, cold weather forces northern cricket frogs undergo brumation.
Northern cricket frogs brumate in crevices or cracks in the banks of ponds, under
fallen logs, and underneath other types of vegetation. If temperatures rise during
the winter, northern cricket frogs may come out of brumation early and become active
on ponds that have iced over.
- Key Behaviors
- terricolous
- saltatorial
- nocturnal
- motile
- hibernation
Home Range
The home ranges of northern cricket frogs are not well studied. The territories of
northern cricket frogs are also unknown, but are also unlikely to exist. Although
northern cricket frogs are not known to be territorial, they do they stay in close
proximity to wetlands, and may move among closely-associated systems of wetlands.
Communication and Perception
Northern cricket frogs communicate with one another through a series of short, clicking sounds. These clicks are repeated rapidly in small bouts, otherwise known as calls. These individual calls make up pulse groups. Male frogs are able to lower the dominant frequency of their calls to assert dominance and potentially displace other male frogs. Females also listen to variation in male calls to determine if a male is a suitable mate. Female cricket frogs are more attracted to short calls compared to long calls. Females are more likely to mate with males from their own population rather than males from neighboring populations. Females also use call variation to identify which males belong to a particular population. This is determined by three call characteristics: dominant frequency, call duration, and the number of pulses in a call. On average, male calls have a dominant frequency of about 2.7 to 4.0 kHz. Dominant frequencies on the upper end of this spectrum, around 3.5 kHz, are observed in parts of Texas and range as far north as Indiana.
Habitat acoustics and environmental selection are currently presumed to account for
the main differences in northern cricket frog calls. Populations in the western part
of their range have calls with lower characteristic frequencies and longer durations.
Northern cricket frog populations in the eastern parts of their range have higher
characteristic frequencies and shorter durations. Populations of northern cricket
frogs in forested areas have calls that are high pitched and seem to rattle, which
differs from the lower-pitched calls of northern cricket frogs in open habitats.
- Communication Channels
- acoustic
- Other Communication Modes
- choruses
Food Habits
Northern cricket frogs primarily eat insects, but also some spiders. The types of insects they eat come from a variety of taxa, including the orders Coleoptera , Collembola , Diptera , Hemiptera , Homoptera , Hymenoptera , Odonata , Orthoptera , Protura , and Thysanura . Cricket frogs are opportunistic eaters, meaning they eat whatever they can catch, but they more commonly consume terrestrial insects. Cricket frogs feed about three times a day, consuming over 20 insects daily. Individual cricket frogs eat an average of 4,800 arthropods per year; hence, small pond populations of around 1,000 individuals are estimated to consume around 4.8 million arthropods a year.
Northern cricket frog tadpoles are likely generalist feeders and consume their food
by filter feeding. They primarily eat algae that is motile and filamentous such as
Ankistrodesmus
and
Cosmarium
.
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- insectivore
- eats non-insect arthropods
-
herbivore
- algivore
- Animal Foods
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
- Plant Foods
- algae
Predation
The most common predators of northern cricket frogs are other frog species such as
American bullfrogs (
Lithobates catesbeianus
), fish such as black basses (genus
Micropterus
), and snakes such as northern water snakes (
Nerodia sipedon
), Concho water snakes (
Nerodia paucimaculata
), eastern garter snakes (
Thamnophis sirtalis
), and plains garter snakes (
Thamnophis radix
). Other predators include birds such as great-tailed grackles (
Cassidix mexicanus
) and American kestrels (
Falco sparverius
). Predation is most common during dry spells, when water levels are lowest and the
banks of ponds or streams are bare, making cricket frogs easy targets. To avoid predation,
northern cricket frogs can leap over 1 m horizontally. They also have cryptic coloration
that helps them camouflage in their environment.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Northern cricket frogs serve as hosts for parasites, but compared to other amphibians they have a lower prevalence of infection. Northern cricket frogs have been known to be infected by the trematode Glypthelmins quieta , which lives in the intestines of its host.
Northern cricket frogs also serve as hosts for parasites in the subphylum
Myxozoa
. These parasites live in gallbladders of northern cricket frogs.
- Trematodes ( Glypthelmins quieta )
- Myxozoans ( Myxozoa )
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Northern cricket frogs are able to consume around 20 arthropods in one day and an
estimated 4,800 arthropods in a single year. This is potentially a natural form of
pest control that can benefit people, although no studies have documented cases in
which it has a significant economic impact.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Northern cricket frogs have no known negative economic impacts on humans.
Conservation Status
The IUCN Red List categorizes northern cricket frogs as a species of “Least Concern.” However, northern cricket frogs are threatened in parts of their geographic range, namely the northwestern portion. The IUCN Red List states that this could be due to climate change, predation, or competition with other species, but the specific causes of these declines are understudied. Currently, the leading cause of global amphibian decline is climate change.
The decline of northern cricket frogs in the northwestern areas of their range was first observed in the 1960s and is still continuing today. Northern cricket frog populations in Canada are decreasing, and Canada has listed northern cricket frogs as an endangered species. There have been population declines of northern cricket frogs in the United States as well. In Virginia, declines in the Shenandoah Valley decline are likely due to animal grazing and agricultural land use. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, northern cricket frogs are considered state endangered. They are considered state threatened in New York and are listed as a species of special concern in Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia. Northern cricket frogs are not listed on the State of Michigan List.
Because northern cricket frogs have such an expansive range, parts of their range
overlap with areas that are already protected for other endangered species.
Additional Links
Contributors
Katie Suter (author), Radford University, Karen Powers (editor), Radford University, April Tingle (editor), Radford University, Emily Clark (editor), Radford University, Cari Mcgregor (editor), Radford University, Jacob Vaught (editor), Radford University, Genevieve Barnett (editor), Colorado State University, Galen Burrell (editor), Special Projects.
- Nearctic
-
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- freshwater
-
mainly lives in water that is not salty.
- desert or dunes
-
in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- polymorphic
-
"many forms." A species is polymorphic if its individuals can be divided into two or more easily recognized groups, based on structure, color, or other similar characteristics. The term only applies when the distinct groups can be found in the same area; graded or clinal variation throughout the range of a species (e.g. a north-to-south decrease in size) is not polymorphism. Polymorphic characteristics may be inherited because the differences have a genetic basis, or they may be the result of environmental influences. We do not consider sexual differences (i.e. sexual dimorphism), seasonal changes (e.g. change in fur color), or age-related changes to be polymorphic. Polymorphism in a local population can be an adaptation to prevent density-dependent predation, where predators preferentially prey on the most common morph.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- year-round breeding
-
breeding takes place throughout the year
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- external fertilization
-
fertilization takes place outside the female's body
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- saltatorial
-
specialized for leaping or bounding locomotion; jumps or hops.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- hibernation
-
the state that some animals enter during winter in which normal physiological processes are significantly reduced, thus lowering the animal's energy requirements. The act or condition of passing winter in a torpid or resting state, typically involving the abandonment of homoiothermy in mammals.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- choruses
-
to jointly display, usually with sounds, at the same time as two or more other individuals of the same or different species
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- metamorphosis
-
A large change in the shape or structure of an animal that happens as the animal grows. In insects, "incomplete metamorphosis" is when young animals are similar to adults and change gradually into the adult form, and "complete metamorphosis" is when there is a profound change between larval and adult forms. Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis.
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