4o6 Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



The ripe females seem to be very rare and the males in the lake greatly 

 predominate. Immature females are more common near shore. Dr. Bishop, 

 as do I, believes that the females stay near shore in hiding until ripe, then 

 swim out toward males which rush for them or to meet them. Doubtless 

 then the pair sink to the bottom or soon the female seizes a stem for ovulation. 

 I believe the embrace is normally pectoral because of the cross embrace with 

 R. clamitans and the swollen thumb. 



Mr. Garnier's notes on mating are "On the 24th of June I collected a 

 number of R. septentrionalis and placed them in a large white earthen vase. 

 They remained quiet for a time and I put in some chips and a quantity of 

 Ranunculus. Next morning three couples were paired and lying at the 

 bottom of the vase, and secreted among the Ranunculus. One pair were 

 on the surface, but the female had been injured. It thus seems they accouple 

 in the night, and immediately sink and hide. Occasionally there was a trivial 

 chant amour from the last pair, evidently so given, but the others were 

 mute. . . . The male seizes the female by the lower portion of the axilla, near 

 the upper third of the dorsal vertebrae, but not by the lumbar regions. At 

 this time the tinting on the chin and throat was a fine gamboge-yellow, and 

 was deeper toned in some specimens than others, but not particularly more 

 in the males than in the females. In both sexes it was equally beautiful. I 

 could not help being struck by the extreme stillness of the pairs in coitu 

 among the Ranunculus. Nothing seemed to induce them to move in any 

 manner. They were at rest. I carefully examined since on all opportunities, 

 and searched the streams and pools to find some in coitu, if possible, to observe 

 them in their natural embrace but as yet without success. . . .' 



"Thus it may be justly inferred that after the female is grasped the pair 

 sink to the bottom and conceal themselves from view, and that they bury 

 themselves in the mud or seek the covering of water plants, after the manner 

 of those in the earthen vase. It is likely some prompting of nature that thus 

 makes them bury themselves from sight to protect themselves from enemies 

 that could, at that time, make them an easy prey, and in security perform 

 their process of fecundation. I kept my specimens referred to for over a 

 fortnight, but no spawn was deposited." 



Amplexation, {Normal, abnormal). We have no data on the actual 

 mating. The very secretive nature of this animal's life, at the non-breeding 

 period, its attachment to cover in the day unless it be overcast would lead 

 one to expect it to mate at night. Most surely its amplexation must be 

 pectoral as its enlarged thumb would indicate. The duration of mating 

 must be very brief and the concourses of this specialized species shorter than 

 with most species. 



Cross embraces with other species were not provided for. On July 14 

 we placed several males with two green frogs in a dark fish can. When we 

 reached home 12 hours later we found one male R. septentrionalis embracing 

 a female R. clamitans with arms dug into the axils. Its arms could not span 

 farther i.e., reach around on to the breast. 



