Frogs and Toads of Arkansas

If you are looking to identify specific frogs and toads of 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 of Arkansas

True Frog Family – Ranidae

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

The Crawfish Frog gets its name from living in crawfish holes. Its has skin folds on the side and a small typanum. It also has a pair of vocal sacs for calling.

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:

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

The Southern Leopard Frog and Plains Leopard Frog appear identical. They both have large spots all over their body. The difference between the frogs lies in their dorsal ridge. The Southern Leopard Frog’s ridge runs straight down the side while the Plains Leopard Frog’s ridge indents near the butt.

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.

Tree Frog Family – Hylidae

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

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

The Green and Squirrel Tree Frog are very similar. The Green Tree Frog has a stripe that goes down its side while the Squirrel Tree Frog doesn’t. The Squirrel Tree Frog is rarer than the Green Tree Frog and is only found on the southern border of the state.

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 the only cricket frog in the state. Its skin is relatively more rough than the other tree frogs in the state. It also has no distinct markings.

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.

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.

Toads of 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’s cranial crest and the parotoid gland to not touch or they are connected by a spur.

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

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

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 Frog is found throughout the state. It has a dark belly and often has a broad line down its back.

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 Toad has a sickle shaped spade on its rear feet. It also doesn’t have a boss (bump) between its eyes.

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 has a rounded spade compared to the other two spadefoot toads. They are extremely rare in the state and found only in 4 spots.