In the 2012 President's Budget Request, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is terminated. As a result, all resources, databases, tools, and applications within this web site will be removed on January 15, 2012. For more information, please refer to the NBII Program Termination page.
In Alabama and Mississippi, Neotropical frogs are an introduced species. This taxonomic family of frogs is represented in Alabama and Mississippi by the Greenhouse frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris). E. planirostris is native to Cuba and the northern Bahamas (Somma, 2006). According to USGS research:
Leptodactylids are found throughout the American tropics and are a diverse group but share a suite of morphological characteristics. They are adapted to a variety of habitats and exhibit a wide range of reproductive strategies, including foam nests and direct development in which tadpoles undergo complete metamorphosis within the egg.
Males of some species congregate to call in loud choruses to attract females to breeding ponds, but males of most species in this family call singly, often while hidden in vegetation, burrows, or crevices. ( Jung, Holmes, Droege, & Sauer, 1999, para. 1-2)
Neotropical Frogs of the Southeastern United States Impacts of this nonindigenous species in Alabama and Mississippi are not yet known, but interactions with native species such as cohabitation of burrows and ground cover have been observed (Somma, 2006). In addition to Alabama and Mississippi, the species has been reported in Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
[Photo: U.S. Geological Survey, Southeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative]
Greenhouse Frog Eleutherodactylus planirostris
Description:Greenhouse frog is a small, striped or variably mottled frog. Adult snout-vent length ranges from 16-32 mm. Toe pads are not readily apparent, eyes are reddish.
Life History:Terrestrial eggs are laid in moist, sheltered areas. Larvae skip the aquatic tadpole stage.
Habitat:Prefers sheltered habitats including moist leaf litter, debris, gopher tortoise burrows, and gardens.
Distribution:Native to Cuba, Cayman Islands, Northern Bahamas. Nonindigenous populations in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Hawaii, and other tropical areas [See current continental U.S. distribution].
