THE AMPHIBIA OF OKLAHOMA 



2. Tail red or red and black mottled. 



Common Tree Toad, Hyla versicolor versicolor (Le Conte)" 



2. Tail without red 3 



3. Tail tip intensely black 4 



3. Tail tip not intensely black (fin may be clear or mottled) 5 



4. Body flattened, not distinctly spotted with light, nearly circular marks on a greenish 



or olive background; older individuals tend to float at the surface (Microhyla) . 20 



4. Body rounded; greenish with light circular spots dorsally; no tendency to float at 

 surface. Northern Cricket Frog, Acris crepitans Baird. 



5. Movement in a pool is almost continuous, when individuals pause to feed, their tail 

 tips continuously move; not shy but easily captured; a generally "mouse like" 

 appearance from shape of head and the eyes set fairly close together; tail tip 

 rounded, tail fin clear; often but not always iridescent ventrally and sometimes 

 dorsally; color very light to very dark. (Scaphiopus) 6 



5. Not as above 10 



6. Color light (almost white with iridescence) to medium gray or brown (with litde 

 iridescence); size at full development large (up to 65 mm. total length). ... 7 



6. Color dark (sometimes nearly black) often with much iridescence; size at full 

 development small (not over 30 mm. usually) 8 



7. East central to west central Oklahoma. 



Plains Spadefoot, Scaphiopus bombifrons (Cope). 



7. Western Oklahoma in short-grass plains or mesquite savannah 44 



8. Body of peppered appearance with coppery or bronzy sheens, no light bar at dorsal 

 tail base, southwestern Oklahoma. Southern Spadefoot, Scaphiopus conchii Baird. 



8. Otherwise or elsewhere 9 



9. Body dark gray (rarely brown and often with some sheen), a light bar (cream or 

 yellow) at dorsal tail base common especially if development has been in clear 

 water and if sheen be present. Eastern half of Oklahoma in woodland pools usually 

 quite shallow. Savannah Spadefoot, Scaphiopus hiirterii Strecker. 



9. Not dark gray or brown, etc., as above 18 



10. Tadpoles congregated in shallows but rush madly for deeper water on being ap- 

 proached. (Bufo or Rana) 11 



10. Behave differently from above 14 



11. Tadpoles not excessively large (25 mm. or less) 12 



11. Tadpoles very large (25 to 75 mm.); color dark greenish often with some darker 

 mottling or spotting; most common in deeper pools. 



Bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana Shaw. 



12. In western Oklahoma north to Harper, east to Jefferson County in south. Parti- 

 colored tadpoles with light line through eye and another light line along base of 

 tail laterally. Desert Toad, Btijo compactilis Wiegmann. 



12. Elsewhere in state and/or differently colored 13 



13. In extreme eastern Oklahoma; small tadpoles coarsely mottled dorsally in browns; 

 in shallow water; weak swimmers; tend to stay close to bottom even when dis- 

 turbed. Fowler's Toad, Bufo woodhousii jowleri Hinckley. 



13. Otherwise or elsewhere 18 



14. Weak swimming; small tadpoles tending to occur in clusters on bottom in shal- 

 lows; eastern half of Oklahoma only 15 



14. Not as above, occurring elsewhere 18 



15. In small streams, shallow pools, or shallow edges of larger streams; common in 

 valleys, seldom high on mountains; color coarsely mottled in browns; extreme east- 

 ern Oklahoma only; most abundant in southeast. 



Fowler's Toad, Biilo woodhousii fowleri Hinckley. 



'^ Tadpoles of the closely related H. v. chrysoscclis (Cope) are unknown. This form 

 rejilaces H. v. versicolor in some deep valleys in eastern Oklahoma, at least in McCurtain 

 and LeFlore counties (probably does not occur north of the Arkansas River). 



