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Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the ACE Basin

Frogs & Toads	Order = Anurans
Some characteristics of anurans: The name anura is formed from two Greek words and means tailless, a defining characteristic for all adult anurans. Most frogs have smooth skin and long legs for leaping. Typical toads have warty skin and short legs for hopping; but, all toads are frogs. For more information on this question read the following page. Most anurans are capable of producing sounds which they use to advertise, display aggressions, and make alarm calls. Usually it is the males that produce the sound. Reproductive modes and development are extremely variable. Most anurans have external fertilization and most have no parental care, but there are interesting exceptions: e.g. frogs that develop their young in specialized pouches on their back, or brood them in their mouth, some frogs even make foam nests in which they deposit their eggs. About 4,100 species of anurans are known from 310 genera belonging to about 29 families. Their distribution is cosmopolitan, except from dry climates (with few exceptions) and cold climates. Some additional links on frogs and toads: South Carolina Reptiles and Amphibians The Frogs and Toads of Georgia Amphibians and Reptiles of the Savannah River Site Frogs and Toads of North Carolina Strange Facts about Frogs AmphibiaWeb Amphibian Species of the World Virtual Frog Dissection Kit Some Strange but true facts about frogs and toads Literature: Ford, L.S. and D.C. Cannatella. 1993. The major clades of frogs. Herpetological Monographs 7:94-117. Hedges, S.B. and L.R. Maxson. 1993. A molecular perspective on Lissamphibian phylogeny. Herpetological Monographs 7:27-42. Species in blue font were observed in the ACE Basin during a herpetofauna survey in 2002- species in red font are presumed to occur there based on their overall range!
Families	Common Names	Scientific Names
Bufonidae	Oak Toad	*Bufo quercicus*
Bufonidae	Southern Toad	*Bufo terrestris*
Hylidae	Northern Cricket Frog ++	*Acris crepitans*
	Southern Cricket Frog	*Acris gryllus gryllus*
	Cope's Gray Treefrog	*Hyla chrysoscelis & Hyla versicolor*
	Green Treefrog	*Hyla cinerea*
	Pine Woods Treefrog	*Hyla femoralis*
	Barking Treefrog	*Hyla gratiosa*
	Squirrel Treefrog	*Hyla squirella*
	Brimley's Chorus Frog	*Pseudacris brimleyi*
	Spring Peeper	*Pseudacris crucifer*
	Southern Chorus Frog	*Pseudacris nigrita*
	Little Grass Frog	*Pseudacris ocularis*
	Ornate Chorus Frog	*Pseudacris ornata*
Microhylidae	Eastern Narrowmouth Toad	*Gastrophryne carolinensis*
Pelobatidae	Eastern Spadefoot Toad	*Scaphiopus holbrookii*
Ranidae	Gopher Frog ++	*Rana capito*
	Bullfrog	*Rana catesbeiana*
	Green Frog	*Rana clamitans*
	Pig Frog	*Rana grylio*
	River Frog	*Rana heckscheri*
	Pickerel Frog ++	*Rana palustris*
	Southern Leopard Frog	*Rana sphenocephala*
	Carpenter Frog	*Rana virgatipes*

++ = of concern in SC

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