Smilisca fodiens
—
Lowland Burrowing Treefrog
Also known as:
Mexican Burrowing Treefrog, Northern Casque-headed Frog
This species was formerly placed in the genus Pternohyla.
These frogs spend up to eight months each year buried underground, encased in a self-generated cocoon of skin-like material open only at the nose. That is not normal.
We saw a few more of these ground-dwelling frogs on the roads on subsequent nights. Someone might want to rethink the use of the word "treefrog" here.
Online references:
- Smilisca fodiens account on AmphibiaWeb
- Smilisca fodiens account on Tucson Herpetological Society site
Printed references:
- Brennan, T. C. and Holycross, A. T. 2006. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona
- Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Eighth Edition
- Elliott, L., Gerhardt, C. and Davidson, C. 2009. The Frogs and Toads of North America
- Rorabaugh, J.C., Lemos-Espinal, J.A. 2016. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Sonora, Mexico
- Stebbins, R. C. 2003. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition