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Southern Cricket Frog
Acris gryllus
 
Description: Size 0.6-1.2 inches.  Very similar in appearance to Eastern Cricket Frogs, these beautiful frogs also have a dark triangle between their eyes and usually a bright "Y" stripe down the back.  The stripe comes in all colors or can be absent.  They differ from the Eastern Cricket Frog in having 1/2 or less of their longest toe on the rear feet webbed.  This characteristic can be seen in the above photograph and can be discerned in the field at close range with binoculars.  Also note voice characteristics and range.

Voice: Call sounds like two small pebbles being tapped together.  The tapping sounds are a little harsher than the Eastern Cricket Frog and the tempo stays the same throughout the call.  We have heard them mid-April through August.  This frog occurs mainly in the southwest corner of Tennessee.

Habitat: Throughout its range Acris gryllus is a lowland frog of coastal plain bogs, ponds and river bottom swamps.

Range: Inhabits the extreme southwest corner of the state - Shelby, Fayette, Hardeman, McNairy and Chester counties, and has recently appeared in Hamilton and Bradley counties in East Tennessee.