Toads and Frogs in Arkansas

If you are looking to identify specific toads and frogs in Arkansas and can’t figure it out from the page, you can check my Frog Identification and see how to contact me about helping you out.

Frogs in Arkansas

Ranidae – True Frogs in Arkansas

Common Name: Crawfish Frog
Scientific Name: Rana areolatus
Location: Western border +and along the Arkansas river
Breeding Season:

The Crawfish Frog is a medium to large frog that is a light color but is covered in large dark spots. They have a white dorsal ridge that runs down their sides and a small tympanum. The Crawfish Frog gets its name from living in crawfish holes.

American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season: April to July

The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in the state. They are found near permanent bodies of water such as large ponds, streams, and lakes. Once the males of the species reach sexual maturity, their throats turn bright yellow. They are very similar to Green Frogs but they don’t have a dorsal ridge down their back. It wraps around their tympanum.

Green Frog / Bronze (Rana clamitans)

Common Name: Bronze Frog or Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season: April to July

The Green Frog is a medium to large sized frog. They can be commonly found near pretty much any water body such as ponds, lakes, or streams. Once the males of the species reach sexual maturity, their throats turn bright yellow. The Green Frog looks very much like the American Bullfrog but it’s a tad smaller. It has a dorsal ridge that runs down its back but they are incomplete and do not reach all the way.

Common Name: Plains Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana blari
Location: Northern border
Breeding Season:

The Plains Leopard Frog is a medium sized frog with a tan color and dark spots. They have dorsal ridge that runs down their back that has a break and an indent near its butt / thighs.

Common Name: Southern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sphenocephalus
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season:

The Southern Leopard Frog is a medium to large sized frog that is brown or green in color with spots over their body. They have a white spot on their tympanum and their dorsal ridge goes straight all the way down their back.

Common Name: Pickeral Frog
Scientific Name: Rana palustris
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season: February to April

The Pickerel Frog is a medium to large sized frog. Their dorsal ridge runs down from their eye to their back and inside there is rectangular boxes.

Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)

Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: Northwestern corner
Breeding Season:

The Wood Frog is a s small to medium sized frog. They vary in color from brown, silver, or red and they have dark “raccoon” eyes. After breeding season, they are often found in the woods, far away from any water bodies.

Hylidae – Tree Frogs in Arkansas

Tree Frogs – Hyla

Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla veriscolor)and Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor
Location: Northwest corner
Breeding Season:

Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Everywhere besides the northwest corner of the state
Breeding Season: March to August

The Gray Tree Frogs are nearly identical besides their calls and chromosome numbers. These medium sized frogs can be found perched in trees or on the side of your house. They are not always gray in color and can be green. They have yellow or orange coloration on their back legs.

Common Name: Bird-Voiced Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla avivoca
Location: Southern edge of state
Breeding Season: April to August

The Cope’s Gray Tree Frog, the Eastern Gray Tree Frog and the Bird-Voiced Frog look very much a like. The difference is the coloration on the inner thigh. Cope’s Gray Tree Frog and Gray Tree Frog has brighter orange color on the thigh while the Bird-Voiced Frog is more greenish-yellow.

Common Name: Green Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla cinerea
Location: Everywhere besides northwestern corner of state
Breeding Season: April to August

The Green Tree Frog is a medium sized, smooth skinned, green frog with a distinct white stripe down its side. Yellow specks can be found on the backs of some frogs.

Common Name: Squirrel Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla sauirella
Location: Southern border
Breeding Season:

The Squirrel Tree Frog is a medium sized, green or brown frog with a white lip and smooth skin. They can be spotted.

Cricket Frogs – Acris

Common Name: Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris blanchardi
Location: Northern border
Breeding Season: January through April

The Blanchard’s Cricket Frog is a small, warty frog that varies in color from tan, brown, or green. They have a dark triangle between their eyes and a dark stripe on their thighs. It is the only cricket frog in the state.

Chorus Frogs – Pseudacris

Chorus Frogs are generally more terrestrial compared to Tree Frogs from the genus Hyla

Common Name: Upland Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris ferarum
Location: Northern border
Breeding Season: January through April

Common Name: Cajun Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris fouquettei
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season: January through April

The Upland and Cajun Chorus Frogs look very much alike. Best way to tell them apart is through genetic tests, call, or by location. The Upland Chorus Frog appears only in the northeastern corner in the state while the Cajun appears everywhere.

Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)

Common Name: Boreal Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris maculata
Location: Northern edge of the state
Breeding Season:

The Boreal Chorus Frog is a small sized Chorus Frog, ranging from brown, red, tan, to olive in color. It has three lines that run done its back that are rarely broken.

Illinois Chorus Frog (Pseudacris illinoensis)

Common Name: Illinois Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris illinoensis
Location: Northeast corner
Breeding Season:

Strecker’s Chorus Frog (Pseudacris streckeri)

Common Name: Streckler’s Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris streckeri
Location: Western part of the state
Breeding Season:

The Illinois and Strecker’s Chorus Frog are basically identical so best way to tell them apart is where they are found. Both frogs differ from the other chorus frogs because they don’t have a white line that extends off the lips.

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season: January to April

The Spring Peeper is a small chorus frog that can often be found on forest floor or low on trunks of trees. They can be hard to find due to their small size, however, in spring when they come to temporary ponds to breed, they are easier to find. They can be distinguished from Boreal Chorus Frog and Cricket Frog due to their x on their back.

Video of a Spring Peeper calling, thanks to M Dwyer, @MustelidDwyer on twitter

Toads in Arkansas

True Toad Family – Bufonidae

The True Toads are the typical toads that you know. They have warts along their back and parotoid glands behind their eyes. These toads produce toxins so make sure to wash your hands after handling and don’t eat them.

American Toad  (Anaxyrus americanus)

Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season: March to June

The American Toad is a medium sized toad with rough warty skin that’s primary brown in color but can have some black, gray, or red coloration. The toads can be found pretty much anywhere including urban areas. Its cranial crest and the parotoid gland to not touch or they are connected by a spur. They also have a speckled underside.

Common Name: Fowler’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
Location: Throughout state
Breeding Season: April to July

The Fowler’s Toad is a small to medium sized toad ranging in color from brown, gray, and olive with a clear, white underside and a white stripe down its back. Its parotid gland touches its postorbital ridge.

Common Name: Woodhouse’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus woodhousii
Location: Southwestern corner
Breeding Season:

The Woodhouse’s Toad is a medium sized toad with brown or gray coloring. They have a white or yellow stripe running down the center of their back. Their cranial crests do not touch, creating opposing L shapes.

The Fowler’s and Woodhouse’s Toads both have cranial crests that form opposing L shapes. The Fowler’s Toad has largest, dark spots on its back that have 3 or more warts in them.

Common Name: Coastal Plains Toad
Scientific Name: Incilius nebulifer
Location: Southern border
Breeding Season:

The Coastal Plains Toad is notable from the other toads in the family because its in a different genus than them, Incilius instead of Anaxyrus. The genus Incilius has a more defined cranial crest than Anaxyrus.

Narrow Mouthed Toad Family – Microhylidae

Common Name: Great Plains Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne olivacea
Location: Western half of the state
Breeding Season:

The Western Narrow Mouthed Toad is found on the western edge of the state. It has a light, unmarked belly and has no patterns and a few spots on its back.

Common Name: Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Location: Throughout the state
Breeding Season: April to August

The Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad is a small, smooth toad that varies in color from gray, brown, black, and tan. They have a pointy head and a fat little body.

Here is a video of them calling.

Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae

Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrooki
Location: Eastern side of state
Breeding Season:

The Eastern Spadefoot Toad is a small to medium sized toad ranging in color from tan to brown with small warts They have bright yellow eyes with elliptical pupils. They have a dark spade on their hind feet.

Common Name: Hurter’s Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus hurteri
Location: Western half of the state
Breeding Season:

The Hurter’s Spadefoot Toad has a sickle-shaped spade on its rear feet but also has a boss (bump) between its eyes.

Common Name: Plains Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Spea bombifrons
Location: Center of the state
Breeding Season:

The Plains Spadefoot Toad is a small to medium sized toad that is gray, brown, or tan in color. They have elliptical, vertical pupils that are snake-like. The toad has a bony boss (bump between the eyes). Its spade has a round shape. They are extremely rare in the state and found only in 4 spots.