| Illinois Chorus Frog | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hylidae |
| Genus: | Pseudacris |
| Species: | P. streckeri |
| Subspecies: | P. s. illinoensis |
| Trinomial name | |
| Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis Smith, 1951 |
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The Illinois Chorus Frog, Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis, is a subspecies of chorus frog that lives in scattered, restricted habitat ecosystems in the states of Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri. It was published by Smith in 1951. Its life cycle is little known, its isolated populations are increasingly restricted by agricultural drainage, and it is listed as a threatened subspecies.[1]
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The Illinois Chorus Frog, a wetland amphibian, grows to a maximum length of 1.5 inches (3.7 cm). Its range is restricted to isolated sandy wetlands along the banks of the Mississippi River and a major tributary, the Illinois River.[1]
Its life cycle begins with the mating season beginning in late February and continuing until late April, when the small amphibian signals its aptitude with a version of the distinctive cry that gives its genus its name. The breeding call can be heard at a distance of up to 1 mile (1.6 km). The pools of spring meltwater, where they live and eat, begin to dry up as early as mid-May, and the frogs disappear into hibernation below the winter frost line. Herpetologists say that the subspecies' unique anatomy makes its members ideal candidates for a life cycle that centers on hibernation. With unusually strong forelegs for its size, the Illinois chorus frog is described as the only frog that uses a breast stroke motion to dig its sandy burrows.[1]
The Illinois Chorus Frogs' preferred habitat in Arkansas includes the patch of sandy wetland soil surrounding Stuttgart where rice is grown. However, the invention of laser land-levelling, and its use by rice paddy operators, has eliminated 61 percent of the subspecies' range in this Southern state.[1]
The Strecker's Chorus Frog, the species of which P. streckeri illinoensis is a subspecies, is not endangered and lives in large numbers throughout warmer latitudes of the eastern and central United States.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources carried out a field study of the Illinois chorus frog's habitat in Mason County, Illinois in March 2011. The study hoped to develop a methodological protocol to monitor the Illinois chorus frog's threatened population.[2]