Amphibians
Mountain Chorus Frog
Pseudacris brachyphona · also called mountain chorus frogs
Tucked into a shallow pool on an Appalachian hillside, a mountain chorus frog calls out from beneath a curtain of leaf litter, its dark curved stripes blending easily into the forest floor. In parts of this same mountain range, though, fewer of these small pools remain than there once were.
Overview
The mountain chorus frog, Pseudacris brachyphona, is a small amphibian native to upland forest and hillside habitat across the central Appalachian region of the United States. Its restricted range and dependence on temporary hillside pools make it more locally sensitive to habitat change than some wider-ranging chorus frog relatives.
A frog tied to a specific mountain landscape
Unlike chorus frog relatives spread across open wetlands and prairies, the mountain chorus frog has built its entire breeding strategy around the temporary pools that form on Appalachian hillsides, a specialised habitat niche that also makes it more vulnerable when that specific terrain changes.
Status
Least Concern — present across much of the central Appalachian region, though populations have contracted in parts of its range.
Mountain Chorus Frog: common questions
How can you tell a mountain chorus frog from other chorus frogs?
A mountain chorus frog typically displays a pair of dark, curved stripes running down its back, a pattern that helps distinguish it from several other similarly sized chorus frog species found within overlapping parts of its range, alongside its more geographically restricted Appalachian distribution.
Why has the mountain chorus frog declined in parts of Appalachia?
Mountain chorus frog populations have contracted in parts of Appalachia due to habitat changes affecting the shallow, temporary hillside pools and upland forest terrain the species depends on for breeding, making it more sensitive to regional habitat disturbance than some of its more widespread chorus frog relatives.
Where does the mountain chorus frog breed?
A mountain chorus frog breeds in shallow, often temporary pools of water found on hillsides and in wooded upland terrain, a habitat choice tied closely to the specific topography of the central Appalachian region rather than the more open wetland habitat favoured by some other chorus frog species.
Is the mountain chorus frog widespread?
The mountain chorus frog occupies a more geographically restricted range than several of its chorus frog relatives, centred specifically on the central Appalachian region of the United States, making it considerably less widespread than more broadly distributed chorus frog species found across other parts of North America.