Northern green frog | |
---|---|
Female, Tewksbury Township, New Jersey | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Ranidae |
Genus: | Lithobates |
Species: | L. clamitans |
Subspecies: | L. c. melanota |
Trinomial name | |
Lithobates clamitans melanota (Rafinesque, 1820) |
|
Native range | |
Synonyms | |
Rana clamitans melanotus |
Rana clamitans melanotus
The northern green frog (Lithobates clamitans melanota) is a subspecies of the green frog, Lithobates clamitans. It is native to the northeastern North America and has been introduced to British Columbia. Its mating call sounds like the single note of a plucked banjo. It is also quite common in the pet trade.
Adult green frogs attain a snout-vent length of 5.5 to 9 cm (2.25 to 3.5 in). The ground color is green or brownish-green. Where the green back and sides fade into the white belly and chest, some black mottling may occur. Some individuals may have light-gray mottling on the chest. The most prominent feature is the pair of dorsolateral folds extending from behind the tympanic membranes to just beyond halfway down the back. The male’s single vocal sac is internal. When it calls, the throat swells, but the vocal sac is not visible.
The northern green frog dwells in marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes, springs, and other aquatic environment. It is active both day and night.