Frogs and Toads of New Mexico

Frogs

If you are looking to identify a specific frog 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.

New Mexico is blessed with a great variety of different frogs.

True Frog Family – Ranidae

The family Ranidae is known as the True Frogs. They are your stereotypical frogs that you find in ponds.

Common Name: Rio Grande Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana berlandieri
Location: Southeastern edge of the state
Breeding Season:

The Rio Grande Leopard Frog’s dorsal fold usually stops near the rear then angles in.

Common Name: Plains Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana blairi
Location: Eastern half of the state
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: Chiricahua Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana chiricahuensis
Location: Southwest corner
Breeding Season:

The Chiricahua Leopard Frog appears similar to other leopard frogs but it dorsal fold is broken into segments near its rear and they are angled inward.

Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)

Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
Location: Northwestern corner
Breeding Season:

The Northern Leopard Frog is a medium to large species of semi aquatic species of frog. They vary in color from dark brown to slim green with fairly large spots all over their body. The dorsal ridge is nearly complete.

Common Name: Lowland Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana yavapaiensis
Location: Southwestern edge of the state
Breeding Season:

The Lowland Leopard Frog is stockier and paler than the Northern Leopard Frog. The Southern Leopard Frog has a white spot on its tympanum which can help differentiate the species from the other two. The Plains Leopard Frog is different from the Southern and Northern Leopard Frog because of its dorsal ridge. The Plains Leopard Frogs has a break and an indent near its butt while the North and South Leopard Frog just has a straight line.

Flesh bellied Frog Family – Craugastoridae

The Barking Frog is the one species of its family in the state. It has tubercles on its feet and a skin fold on the back of the head.

Common Name: Barking Frog
Scientific Name: Craugastor augusti
Location:
Breeding Season:

Tree Frog Family – Hylidae

Common Name: Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris blanchardi
Location:
Breeding Season:

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.

Common Name: Canyon Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla arenicolor
Location: Western part of the state
Breeding Season:

The Canyon Tree Frog has rough skin and no stripes through its eyes.

Common Name: Arizona Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla wrightorum
Location: Western part of the state
Breeding Season:

The Arizona Tree Frog has no distinct markings on its back but does have a stripe that runs through the eye.

Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)

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

The Boreal Chorus Frog is a small sized Chorus Frog, ranging from brown, red, tan, to olive in color with three lines down its back.

Spotted Chorus Frog (Pseudacris clarkii)

Common Name: Spotted Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris clarkii
Location: 
Breeding Season: 

The Spotted Chorus Frog obviously has spots that are green and are bordered by black.

Toads

If you are looking to identify a specific toad 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.

True Toad Family – Bufonidae

Common Name: Colorado River Toad
Scientific Name: Incilius alvarius
Location: Southwest corner
Breeding Season:

The Colorardo River Toad has a prominent cranial crest and large parotoid glands.

Common Name: Western Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus boreas
Location: Rio Arriba County
Breeding Season:

The Western Toad is a medium sized toad with warty skin that’s green, gray, or brown in color. They have a thin white line that runs between their eyes down their back. The toad also lacks a cranial crest.

Common Name: Arizona Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus microscaphus
Location: Southwestern New Mexico
Breeding Season:

The Arizona Toad has a weak or no cranial crest. It’s parotoid glands are round.

Common Name: Great Plains Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus cognatus
Location: Statewide besides Torrance county
Breeding Season:

The Great Plains Toad is a medium sized toad with pairs of dark blotches down their back. The toads are brown, gray, or green in color. A white stripe down their back can be seen on some individuals. The toad has a V shaped cranial crest on their head with a boss (bump) in between the eyes.

Video of a male Great Plains Toad calling by Annika Enloe

Common Name: Woodhouse’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus woodhousii
Location: Statewide
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.

Common Name: Red Spotted Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus punctatus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

No cranial crest. No stripe down middle of the back. Parotoid gland is also rather small. Flattened body.

Common Name: Texas Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus speciosus
Location: Southeast corner
Breeding Season:

The Texas Toad ‘s cranial crests absent or weak with no stripe down its back. The tubercles on its feet are black and sharp edged.

Narrow Mouthed Toad Family – Microhylidae

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

The Great Plains Narrowed Mouth Toad is the only narrowed mouth toad in the state. It’s not a true toad because it lacks a parotoid gland behind its eye and doesn’t have a keratonized spade on its rear feet.

Spadefoot Toad Family- Scaphiopodidae

Common Name: Plains Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Spea bombifrons
Location: Statewide
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.

Common Name: New Mexican Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Spea multiplicata
Location: Throughout the state
Breeding Season:

The New Mexican Spadefoot Toad has no boss between its eyes.

Common Name: Couch’s Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus couchii
Location: Everywhere besides far northern parts of the state
Breeding Season:

The Couch’s Spadefoot Toad has a sickle-shaped spade on its rear feet while the other toads in the state have more of a round one.

Introduced Species

American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:

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.