Sph 



agnum-frog. Carpenter Frog. Cope's 



Frog. 



Plate LXXIX. i, 3. Fe- 

 males (xf). 2, 5. Males 

 (Xf). 4. Male croaking (xj). 



Rana virgatipes Cope. 



Range: New Jersey to Oke- 

 finokee Swamp, Ga. 



Habitat: It may be in the 

 sphagnum edge of open 

 ponds, in sphagnum mats in 

 deeper parts of ponds or 

 lakes, in wooded edges of 

 some of the coastal rivers, in 

 branch swamps of the south- 

 east, in wooded inlets or out- 

 lets of open ponds, cypress 

 bays or strands of islands in 

 southern swamps, or at times 

 in the open water-lily prairie. 



Size: Adults, 1 5/8-2 5/8 

 inches. (Males, 41-63 mm. 

 Females, 41-66 mm.). 



General appearance: This 

 small frog has a long, narrow 

 head, back brownish with 

 four yellowish or golden- 

 brown, longitudinal stripes. 

 The under parts are yellow- 

 ish white with dark brown or 

 black spots. The rear of the 

 femur has alternating dark 

 and light stripes. The sides 

 also are marked with black- 

 ish spots. 



Structure: Tympana en- 

 larged in the males, but not 

 so striking as in Rana gry/io, 

 Rana catesbeiana, Rana clami- 

 tans or Rana onca, (except in 

 very old males), nor is the 

 thumb quite as large pro- 

 portionally; no dermal folds; 

 two joints of fourth toe free; 



192 



