How to identify it
Large: 3.25-4.63 in snout-vent (record 6.13 in); greenish-black back. [1][2]
Light spots on the lips, larger on the lower jaw. [1][2]
Skin more rugose than most ranid frogs; no dorsolateral ridges. [1][2]
Belly grey to almost black with light spots or short wavy lines; males often have yellowish throat. [1][2]
Webbing on hind feet reaches the last phalanx of the longest toe. [1][2]
Where it lives
Swamps along streams and edges of shallow ponds and impoundments, including beaver ponds; open, thinly vegetated shorelines. [1][2]
How it behaves
Highly aquatic and approachable; sits in shallow open water and on logs. [1][2]
Limited legal take
Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.
Where legal take is listed
- Mississippi — amphibian take · Title 40 Part 5 Rule 2.3 Regulations Regarding Non-Game Wildlife in Need of Management (MDWFP PDF; file dated 2024-04)
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Coastal Plain from southern North Carolina (at least formerly) to northern Florida and west to southeastern Mississippi; most of the range is in northern Florida, southern Georgia and southern South Carolina.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
- BIOLOGICALNatureServe Explorer taxon record
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe
- BIOLOGICALAnimal Diversity Web species account
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology