How to identify it
Green or brown with irregularly spaced, rounded dark spots on the back and a few on the sides. [1]
A continuous, usually yellowish ridge runs along each side of the back. [1]
Head is pointed; usually a light spot in the centre of the eardrum. [1]
Hind toes are extensively webbed; adults reach about 13 cm snout-vent length. [1]
Breeding call is a short chuckling or ratchet-like trill; breeding males have spherical vocal sacs at the angles of the jaw. [1]
Where it lives
Occurs near virtually any freshwater habitat and in some places slightly brackish marshes. [1]
Breeds in still, shallow, permanent or temporary water. [1]
How it behaves
Males call from shallow or deep water, floating or submerged, sometimes from crayfish burrows. [1]
Breeds usually March-June in the north of the range and in any month in the far south. [1]
In summer may disperse from water into moist upland vegetation; migrates between breeding pools and adjacent terrestrial habitat; inactive in cold winter weather in the north. [1]
Adults eat small terrestrial invertebrates; egg masses are baseball-sized and hold roughly 1,000-1,500 eggs. [1]
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
- California — amphibian take · 2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations (updated July 10, 2026), 14 CCR 5.05/5.60
- 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)
- Missouri — amphibian take · Live Bait Regulations (MDC web page; frogs as live bait) · Frog: Regulations (MDC web page, 2026 season)
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
Lowlands of the southeastern United States from southern New York to the Florida Keys, west to eastern Kansas, central Oklahoma and eastern Texas; introduced on Little Bahama Bank. Not reported for Canada in the source.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe