New County Records and Other Data Since 1996

Pseudacris triseriata (Wied) -Upland Chorus Frog

Since publication of Atlas of Amphibians in Tennessee (Redmond, W. H. and A. F. Scott. 1996. The Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN. 94 pp.), several taxonomic and nomenclatural changes and reports of new county records have appeared in the literature pertaining to P. triseriata.  Following is a summary of these changes and reports along with bibliographic information on where they were first published.

 New Taxonomic and Distribution Data for Tennessee's Trilling Pseudacris

What were generally considered subspecies of Pseudacris triseriata (Upland Chorus Frog) in 1996, have been elevated to full species based on the work and recommendations of  Ralin (1970), Hedges (1986), Platz and Forester (1988) and Platz (1989).  This resulted in Tennessee populations of this complex, which were formerly referred to as P. triseriata feriarum, assuming the binomial Pseudacris feriarum without a change in the common name.  More recently, Lemmon et al. (2007), in a study delimiting species boundaries and contact zones in the trilling chorus frogs, added Pseudacris triseriata (Western Chorus Frog) to Tennessee's anuran fauna based on a single specimen taken in Montgomery County.  Previously, P. brachyphona (Mountain Chorus Frog) and P. feriarum (Upland Chorus Frog) were the only two species of trilling Pseudacris known in the state.

Literature Cited:

Hedges, S. B. 1986. An electrophoretic analysis of Holarctic hylid frog evolution. Systematic Zoology 35:1-21.

Lemmon, E. M., A. R. Lemmon, J. T. Collins, J. A. Lee-Yaw, and D. C. Cannatella.  2007. Phylogeny-based delimitation of species boundaries and contact zones in the trilling chorus frogs (Pseudacris). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44:1068-1082.

Platz, J. E. 1989. Speciation within the chorus frog Pseudacris triseriata: morphometric and mating call analyses of the boreal and western subspecies. Copeia 1989:704-712.

Platz, J. E. and D. C. Forester. 1988. Geographic variation in mating call among the four subspecies of the chorus frog: Pseudacris triseriata (Wied). Copeia 1988 (4):1062-1066.

Ralin, D. B. 1968. Genetic compatibility and a phylogeny of the temperate North American hylid fauna. Ph.D. diss., University of Texas, Austin. 117 pp.

New County Records

Carroll, Gibson, and Madison counties

Messer, M., L. Bennie, and B. P. Butterfield.  2008.  Geographic distribution. Pseudacris triseriata.  Herpetol. Rev. 39:235. 

Although published under the binomial Pseudacris triseriata (Western Chorus Frog), the new records in this report are for P. feriarum (Upland Chorus Frog).

Cannon County

           Miller, J. L.  2004.  Geographic distribution. Pseudacris feriarum. Herpetol. Rev. 35:406.

Crockett and Haywood counties 

Hunter, C.  2006.  Geographic distribution.  Pseudacris feriarum feriarum  Herpetol. Rev. 37:238.

DeKalb County 

Tolley, A.  2010.  Geographic distribution.  Pseudacris feriarum.  Herpetol. Rev. 41:508.

Fentress County

Campbell, T. S. 2002. New records for amphibians in the Big South Fork region of Tennessee. Herpetol. Rev. 33:230-231.

Gibson County 

Hall, J. M.  2008.  Geographic distribution. Pseudacris feriarum.  Herpetol. Rev. 39:107.

Grundy, Warren and Washington counties 

Niemiller, M. L. and R. G. Reynolds.  2011. Upland Chorus Frog. Pp. 286-288 In M. L. Niemiller and R. G. Reynolds (eds.), The amphibians of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville. 369 pp.

Houston County

Scott, A. F., S. Sutton, and S. Williamson. 2000. New county records of amphibians and turtles from the Western Highland Rim of central Tennessee. Herpetol. Rev. 31:117-118.

Jefferson County 

Faust, T. M.  2008.  Geographic distribution.  Pseudacris feriarum.  Herpetol. Rev. 39:363.

Marion County 

Davenport, J. M., J. R. Ennen, and A. F. Scott. 2005. New records for amphibians from counties in south-central Tennessee.  Herpetol. Rev. 36:209-210.

Marshall County 

Anderson, M.  A. and D. B. Estabrooks.  2011.  Geographic distribution. Pseudacris feriarum.  Herpetol. Rev. 42:108.

Maury County

Stewart, Brian.  2010.  Geographic distribution.  Pseudacris feriarum.  Herpetol. Rev. 41:104.

Union County

Nelson, S. K.  2011.  Geographic distribution: Pseudacris feriarum. Herpetol. Rev. 42:386.

Williamson County

English, R., and A. English. 2000. Geographic distribution. Pseudacris feriarum.  Herpetol. Rev. 31:251.