Mountain Chorus Frog (Pseudacris brachyphona)

Common Name: Mountain Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brachyphona
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog family
Locations: United States – Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania
Size: 1 – 1.25 inches (2.5 – 3.1 cm)

The Mountain Chorus Frog is found in and around the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. They are a terrestrial species of tree frog. The frogs spend most of their time on the ground, instead of in trees like most tree frogs. Their key identification feature is an inward facing parenthesis on their back, looking something like this )(. No other frogs have this symbol.

The frogs start breeding when they wake up from their hibernation generally around late February and early March in the central Appalachian range. In Alabama, they breed from December to April. The males call sounds like reeking sound. They will start calling in shallow, temporary ponds. The females will arrive to the pond and the male will grasp her from behind in the amplexus position. Then, the female will lay her eggs and the male will fertilize them. Females can lay 300 to 1500 eggs in a clutch. No parental care has been reported. The eggs hatch in 7-10 days and the tadpoles undergo metamorphosis in a month or two.

While only listed a Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, they are disappearing from some parts of their range. The most likely for the declines is habitat loss due to urban development. Better conservation of wetlands is needed to protect the frog and all frogs around the world.