Pacific tree frog

Pacific tree frog
Name	Pacific tree frog
Status	LC
Genus	Pseudacris
Species	regilla
Authority	(Baird and Girard, 1852)

Pacific tree frog is a small anuran native to western North America, notable for its adaptability to diverse ecosystems and distinctive vocalizations. It occupies a range from coastal British Columbia through California to Baja California, interacting with numerous ecological communities and featuring in studies by institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the University of California. Research on this species has informed work by conservation organizations including the IUCN and regional agencies like the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Taxonomy and etymology

The species was described by Spencer Fullerton Baird and Charles Frédéric Girard in 1852 and historically placed within the genus Hyla before molecular revisions by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History and teams using techniques from the National Science Foundation reassigned it to Pseudacris. Etymological roots trace to Latinized nomenclature practices common to 19th-century naturalists affiliated with institutions such as the United States Exploring Expedition and correspondences with collectors connected to the California Academy of Sciences. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses referencing work published in journals like Science and Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution have explored relationships with congeners described by authorities including Edward Drinker Cope.

Description and identification

Adults are typically 2.5–5 cm in snout–vent length and show extensive color polymorphism studied by teams at the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington. Diagnostic characters include a dorsal dark eye stripe extending from the nostril to the shoulder, noted in field guides from the National Park Service and manuals used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Morphological comparisons with species covered by the American Museum of Natural History collections reveal toe pads, toepad lamellae, and skin texture that distinguish it from sympatric anurans documented by researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Distribution and habitat

Ranges span temperate coastal and montane regions recorded in surveys by the United States Geological Survey, provincial reports from British Columbia Ministry of Environment, and state-level assessments by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Habitats include riparian corridors, vernal pools, oak woodlands, and urban wetlands mapped in studies involving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and municipal conservation plans from cities like Seattle and San Francisco. Elevational occurrence documented in publications from the University of California, Davis and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy extends from sea level to montane zones influenced by climatic gradients monitored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Behavior and ecology

Calling behavior and diel activity patterns have been characterized in acoustic surveys led by researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and bioacoustics labs at the University of California, Santa Cruz, revealing call variants used during breeding choruses noted in regional herpetofauna inventories by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Diet consists primarily of arthropods reported in collaborative studies with entomologists from the Smithsonian Institution and the California Academy of Sciences, linking trophic interactions to predator assemblages including birds studied by the Audubon Society and mammals documented by the National Park Service. Predation, parasite loads, and disease ecology have been the focus of teams associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, especially regarding pathogen dynamics comparable to cases involving chytridiomycosis investigated by the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Reproduction and development

Breeding phenology is synchronized with seasonal rainfall and temperature cues analyzed with climatologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and climate modelers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, producing reports used by state agencies such as the California Natural Resources Agency. Females deposit egg masses in lentic waters; embryogenesis and larval development have been described in developmental studies published in journals like Developmental Biology and comparative works from the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Metamorphosis timing and growth rates were quantified in experiments by laboratory groups at the University of California, Riverside and field teams from the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Conservation status and threats

The species is currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN yet faces localized declines addressed by conservation plans from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and regional NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy. Threats include habitat loss from urbanization documented in environmental impact statements prepared for projects overseen by agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and water management changes regulated by the Bureau of Reclamation. Disease pressures, invasive predators, and climate change impacts have prompted monitoring initiatives funded by the National Science Foundation and action from state programs including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and provincial ministries like the British Columbia Ministry of Environment.

Category:Amphibians of North America