Hyla femoralis 273 



GENERAL APPEARANCE 



Cope (1889, p. 371) writes: "Body short, rather broad, and the entire ap- 

 pearance as to pattern of color and shape not very dissimilar from Hyla versi- 

 color, from which, however, it is readily distinguishable by the femoral yellow 

 spots; the dark postocular vitta, the absence of light spots under the eyes." 



Brimley (1907, p. 158) characterizes it as follows: "Back . . . markings 

 do not form an X-shaped mark. Back of thigh with yellow spots or variega- 

 tions. No hght spot below eye. No yellow spots on sides." 



Deckert (1915, p. 3) who has studied southeastern frogs more intimately 

 than most observers says this species "resembles our own gray tree frog, with 

 its rough skin and star-shaped dark patch on the back, but is smaller and more 

 slender." 



We would consider this species a small species. Cope considers 35 mm, 

 above the average size and his largest is 39 mm. LeConte a century ago 

 gave I 1/2-1 3/4 inches as the adult range and it has been repeated for this 

 little understood form. It may reach 45 mm., as he says, but of the 140 

 specimens from 20 mm. upwards we have none over 40 mm., the average, 

 30 mm. 



COLORATION OF SPIRIT SPECIMENS (1 9 1 2) 



In spirits the upper parts are usually some shades of dark brown, rarely 

 light brown; in life the color of all our specimens was invariably gray or 

 rarely grayish brown. The under parts are white. The blotch between the 

 eyes is constant but seldom triangular. From either cephalic corner it sends 

 a bar to the anterior end of the upper eyelid. From the two caudal corners 

 of this interorbital spot two branches extend obliquely backwards to another 

 median spot just back of the shoulder region on the anterior back. In two 

 specimens these branches are connected with the anterior dorsal spot but not 

 with the interorbital spot (just as in Holbrook's figure. Vol. 4, fig. 3) as most 

 texts usually represent it. Obliquely backward from the anterior dorsal spot 

 runs a dark bar to the middle of each side. Frequently between these last 

 two bars there are two more which extend backwards from the anterior 

 dorsal spot along the posterior back. Sometimes one or both of these bars is 

 disconnected with the anterior dorsal spot or almost absent. Several isolated 

 irregular spots sometimes take their place or represent the more regular bars. 



From the tip of the snout a dark line extends to the eye. From the eye to 

 the ear it is a band with two dark borders. Back of the ear the lower border 

 ceases and the upper one passes over the shoulder to the middle of the side. 

 Whenever this lower border extends farther back it is more or less broken. 

 In all cases it more or less demarcates the separation of the brown or gray of 

 the back from the white of the belly. Beneath this hne there may be some of 

 the dorsal color but very little. When this line breaks up back of the middle 

 of the side, it often produces a motthng, reticulation or vermiculation along 

 the groin. In some specimens the line may be faint or almost absent on the 

 snout or back of the shoulder. In most of the larger specimens there is a dark 

 line along the posterior edge of the forearm and anterior edge of the foreleg. 



