Toads and Frogs Missouri
If you are looking to identify a specific toads and frogs in Missouri 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 Missouri
True Frog Family – Ranidae
Common Name: Crawfish Frog
Scientific Name: Rana areolatus
Location: Southwestern corner diagonally up to the northeastern corner
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: 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.
Bronze /Green Frog (Rana clamitans)
Common Name: Green Frog / Bronze Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Everywhere besides western corner of the state
Breeding Season:
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. Best way to tell them apart from other true frogs below is the dorsal ridge on its back does not go all the way down its back.
Common Name: Plains Leopard Frog
Scientific Name Rana blairi
Location: Everywhere besides southcentral Missouri
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.
Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
Location: Northern edge of the state
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.
Common Name: Southern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana spenocephalus
Location: Statewide
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: Pickerel Frog
Scientific Name: Rana palustris
Location: Everywhere besides northwestern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
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.
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: Southeastern border and small spot on the southern border
Breeding Season:
The Wood Frog is a 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.
Tree Frog Family – Hylidae
Common Name: Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris blanchardi
Location: Statewide
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: Green Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla cinerea
Location: Southeast corner
Breeding Season:
The Green Tree Frog has a white line that runs down its side. It doesn’t have any distinct markings on its back.
Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor) and Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)
Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor
Location: Everywhere besides southeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Everywhere besides northeastern corner of the state
Breeding Season:
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.
Here is a video of some Eastern Gray Tree Frog males calling that I took
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Statewide besides western border
Breeding Season:
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 other Chorus Frogs due to their x on their back.
Video of a Spring Peeper calling, thanks to M Dwyer, @MustelidDwyer on twitter
Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)
Common Name: Boreal Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris maculata
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Boreal Chorus Frog is a small sized Chorus Frog, ranging from brown, red, tan, to olive in color. They have three stripes on its back are often not broken and if one is, its the middle.
Common Name: Cajun Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris fouqettei
Location: Southeast corner
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Upland Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris feriarum
Location: Southeast corner
Breeding Season:
The Upland and Cajun Chorus Frog are both found in the Southeast part of the state. They are very hard to tell apart. The best way to tell is by their calls and through genetic testing. The stripes on their back are often broken and can even appear as spots.
Common Name: Illinois Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris illnoensis
Location: Southeastern corner
Breeding Season:
The Illinois Chorus Frog does not have a white line that extends off the lips while the other chorus frogs do.
Toads
True Toad Family – Bufonidae
The True Toads are your typical toad. They usually have a parotid gland behind their eyes that contain a poison called It is not advised to let your dog eat these guys.
American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Northern half
Breeding Season:
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. Their undersides are speckled. The American Toads’s parotid gland does not touch or connected to it by a spur. The toads can be found pretty much anywhere including urban areas.
Common Name: Great Plains Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus cognatus
Location: Along the Missouri River
Breeding Season:
The Great Plains Toad has V shaped cranial crest which is unique for the toads in the 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: Fowler’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
Location: Western half
Breeding Season:
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: Western half
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.
Spadefoot Toads – Scaphiopodidae
Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrookii
Location: Southeast corner
Breeding Season:
The Eastern Spadefoot Toad is small to medium sized toad that varies in color from tan to brown with small warts. They have elliptical eyes and a sickle-shaped spade.
Common Name: Plains Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Spea bombifrons
Location: Along the Missouri River
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.
Narrowed Mouth Toad Family – Microhylidae
Common Name: Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
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.
Common Name: Great Plains Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne olivacea
Location: Western edge
Breeding Season:
The Great Plains / Western Narrow Mouthed Toad is a small, smooth skinned frog that varies in color from gray, tan, or olive. They have a fat body with a pointed head.
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