California Reptiles & Amphibians

Pseudacris cadaverina - California Treefrog

Click on a picture for a larger view

Range in California: Red

Listen to this frog:

One short call

More sounds and video of
Pseudacris cadaverina

Adult male, San Diego County

Adult, Riverside County

Adult, San Diego County

Breeding adult male, San Diego County

Calling adult male, San Diego County

Adult, Los Angeles County

Adult male and female in amplexus, San Diego County

Adult, San Diego County

Adult , Santa Ana Mountains,
Orange County
© 2003 Bon Terra Consulting

Adult, Santa Monica Mountains,
Ventura County
© 2005 Brian Hubbs

Recently metamorphosed juvenile, San Diego County

Adult, Santa Barbara County,
© Patrick Briggs

Comparison of a California Treefrog (bottom) and a Pacific Treefrog (top) from the same creek in the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County

Comparison of the undersides of a California Treefrog (top) and a Pacific Treefrog (bottom) from the same creek in the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County

Tadpole, © Ronn Altig

Tadpole, San Diego County

Close-up of enlarged pads on front toes

Habitat

Desert Oasis pool , San Diego County

Desert creek habitat, San Diego County

Habitat, seasonal creek, Santa Ana Mountains, Riverside County

Habitat, creek, Riverside County

Habitat, small creek, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County

Habitat, riparian desert canyon, Riverside County

Habitat, Santa Ana Mountains,
Orange County
© 2003 Bon Terra Consulting

Desert palm oasis habitat, Riverside County

Short Video

A male calls on a windy night from the edge of a small pond in San Diego County. He makes three distinct sounds - a low call, then several higher-pitched calls followed by some ratcheting encounter calls, ending with another high-pitched call. Other calling California Treefrogs are heard in the background.

At night at a small pond in San Diego County, after I make an imitation of his call, a male frog repeatedly makes what appears to be his encounter call while aggressively moving towards the camera until he finally hops away. A Red-spotted Toad and other CA Treefrogs are heard in the background.

A male calls on a windy night from the edge of a small pond in San Diego County. Other calling California Treefrogs are heard in the background.

Description

Size

Adults are 1 - 2 inches long from snout to vent ( 2.5 - 5.1 cm).

Appearance

A small treefrog with webbing and expanded pads on the toes. Skin is rough and cryptically colored: gray or brown with dark blotches, tending to match the habitat. Usually there is no dark stripe through the eye as there is on P. regilla. Underneath is whitish. Rear legs, groin, and lower abdomen are yellow. Males have dusky coloring on the throat.

Voice (Listen)

The advertisement call is a quick low-pitched duck-like quacking that ends abruptly and is given repeatedly. Males call at night and during the day during the peak of the season, while sitting in water, usually near a rock. Males also produce a trilled encounter or warning call when interacting closely with other males of the species.

Behavior

Nocturnal, hiding in shaded rock crevices near water during the day. Inactive during very cold and very hot and dry periods. Jumps into the water when disturbed, but returns to the shore very quickly.

Diet

Eats insects, spiders, centipedes and other invertebrates. Typical of most frogs, the prey is located by vision, then a large sticky tongue is used to catch the prey and bring it into the mouth to eat. Tadpoles feed on organic debris and plant material.

Reproduction

Mating and egg-laying occurs from February to early October. Fertilization is external. Eggs are laid singly and attached to twigs or the bottom of quiet pools.

Range

Endemic to California and northern Baja California. Ranges along the southwest coast region from San Luis Obispo county south into northern Baja California. From the coast, east to the western edge of the Mojave and Colorado deserts.

Habitat

Typically found around canyon streams and rocky washes with permanent quiet pools. Found in desert streams and palm oases, coastal streams, and up into the mountain pine belt. From sea level to 7,500 ft. (2,290 m.) Coexists with P. regilla in some locations, but they rarely occur in the same location.

Taxonomic Notes

This species is also referred to as Hyla cadaverina - California Treefrog, or as Pseudacris cadaverina - California Chorus Frog.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None

Taxonomy
Family	Hylidae	Treefrogs
Genus	Pseudacris	Chorus Frogs
Species	cadaverina	California Treefrog
Original Description
Originally Hyla cadaverina - Cope, 1866 - Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, Vol. 6, No. 2, p. 84 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Pseudacris - Greek - pseudes false, deceptive and Greek - akris locust - means "false Acris" with reference to genus Acris cadaverina - Latin - cadaver a corpse and -ina having the appearance of - refers to the pale corpse-like appearance in life of some morphs of this frog from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Hyla cadaverina - California Treefrog Pseudacris cadaverina - California Chorus Frog
Related or Similar California Frogs
Pseudacris regilla - Pacific Treefrog
More Information and References
Natureserve Explorer California Dept. of Fish and Game AmphibiaWeb Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Amphibians of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Elliott, Lang, Carl Gerhardt, and Carlos Davidson. Frogs and Toads of North America, a Comprehensive Guide to their Identification, Behavior, and Calls. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Lannoo, Michael (Editor). Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, June 2005. Wright, Anna. Handbook of Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, 1949. Davidson, Carlos. Booklet to the CD Frog and Toad Calls of the Pacific Coast - Vanishing Voices. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, 1995.

Conservation Status
The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game. This frog is not included on the Special Animals List, meaning there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California according to the Dept. of Fish and Game.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)
California Department of Fish and Game
Bureau of Land Management
USDA Forest Service
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List

Return to the Top