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ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY Natural History of the Bird-voiced Treefrog {Hyla avivoca) and Green Treefrog {Hyla cinerea) in Southern lUinois Michael Redmer Lauren E. Brown Ronald A. Brandon Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Volume 36, Article 2 September 1999 Illinois Natural History Survey, David L. Thomas, Chief A Division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources A catalog of the publications of the Illinois Natural History Survey is available without charge from the address below. A price list and an order blank are included with the catalog. Illinois Natural History Survey Distribution Center Natural Resources Building 607 East Peabody Drive Champaign, Illinois 61820 Citation: Michael Redmer, Lauren E. Brown, and Ronald A. Brandon. 1999. Natural History of the Bird-voiced Treefrog {Hyla avivoca) and Green Treefrog {Hyla cinerea) in Southern Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 36(2):37-66. Editor: Thomas E. Rice Michael Redmer is a biologist and freelance photographer. He completed work on this project while a graduate student in the Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 62901-6501. Lauren E. Brown is Professor of Vertebrate Zoology and Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles, Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4120, Normal 61790-4120. Ronald A. Brandon is Professor Emeritus and Curator of Herpetology, Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 62901-6501. Brandon and Brown are Affiliate Professional Scientists, Center for Biodiversity, Illinois Natural History Survey. US ISSN 0073-4918 Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois (RR46854-1M-9-99) ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY Natural History of the Bird-voiced Treefrog {Hyla avivoca) and Green Treefrog {Hyla cinerea) in Southern Illinois Michael Redmer Lauren E. Brown Ronald A. Brandon Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Volume 36, Article 2 September 1999 Dedication This study is dedicated to the memory of our colleague, the late Dr. Michael A. Morris, with whom LEB initiated this project in the late 1980s as Mike completed his graduate work at SIUC. Mike was a foremost expert on the herpetofauna of Illinois and was associated with the Illinois Natural History Survey several times during his short career. Contents Acknowledgments iv Introduction 37 Materials and Methods 37 Historical Records 37 Current Distribution 37 Habitat 37 Results 40 Hyla avivoca 40 Description 40 Comparison With Gray Treefrogs 40 Distribution 40 Habitat 43 Hyla cinerea 46 Description 46 Distribution 46 Range Expansion 49 Habitat 52 Discussion 53 Biogeography 53 Range Expansion of Hyla cinerea 54 Conservation Biology 56 Summary 57 Literature Cited 58 Appendix 64 Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Vol. 36 Art. 2 Acknowledgments For assistance with field work or for alerting us Malnate (Academy of Natural Sciences of to localities, we thank S. Ballard, M. Bavetz, Philadelphia); R. Vasile (Chicago Academy of M. Blanford, D. Brandon, E. Brown, J. Brown, Sciences); R. Beer (St. Louis Science Center); L. N. Brown, L. Buckley, B. Burke, M. and D. Rossman (Louisiana State University DeJesus, M. Heafner, D. Jedele, J. Karnes, S. Museum of Natural Science). R. Crombie and Karsen, J.S. Keogh, M. MacCallum, W. R. Reynolds provided extensive information on McDowell, E. Mockford, H. Moeller, M. E. Cope and specimens in the U.S. National Morris, G. Paukstis, M.A. Phillippi, M. Museum of Natural History collected in St. Peterson, S. Reilly, D. Shepard, M. Smitka, K. Louis. B. Wainscott and P. Foley provided Tolch, and A. Wilson. R. Heidinger and J. information on toad tadpoles that arrived in a Stahl provided impoundment dates for some shipment of fish at the Aquaculture Facility, reservoirs. J. Parmelee alerted us to KU Illinois State University. W. Lewis provided specimens from the introduced locality in information on tadpoles in his fish hatchery. L. Kansas, and examined the specimens. P. Reif Massarolo gave information on tadpoles in fish shared his observations of H. cinerea and shipments to a pet store. R. Axtell gave tadpoles at his fish farm. K. Davie (SIUC) and information on his field experiences in Madi- J. Miller (U.S. Forest Service) helped with the son County, Illinois. T. Schiebel provided help preparation of range maps. Permits to collect with computer software. R. Goellner searched specimens on lands under their control were the archives of the Naturalists Club (St. Louis) issued by the following agencies: Illinois for J. Hurler's field notes. R. Axtell and T. Department of Natural Resources (Divisions of Johnson facilitated the search for the specimens Wildlife Resources and Natural Heritage, and and field notes of J. Hurler. A. Resetar Illinois Nature Preserves Commission); United provided photocopies of correspondence States Fish and Wildlife Service (Crab Orchard between F. Cagle and K. Schmidt in the and Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuges); archives of the Field Museum of Natural and the United States Forest Service (Shawnee History. J. Herkert provided information on the National Forest). Permission was granted to approval of the listing of H. avivoca as a LEB to reside in Pine Hills Swamp during threatened species by the Illinois Endangered several periods in the earlier years of this study Species Protection Board. R. Gray, G. Paukstis, by J. Parsons of the Pine Hills Field Station and and D. Shepard critically reviewed the manu- W.C. Ashby. script. H.M. Smith provided encouragement. The following provided loans or informa- Portions of the field work were funded by tion or both on holdings in their museums or Illinois Department of Natural Resources collections: H. Marx, A. Resetar, and H. Voris contracts with RAB, and a Nature Conservancy (Field Museum of Natural History); S. Minton contract with Southern Illinois University at (Minton Herpetological Collection); L. Page Carbondale. A grant to the late W. Klimstra and C. Phillips (Illinois Natural History provided funds for some of the field work by Survey); J. Purdue (Illinois State Museum); A. LEB. Publication costs were funded by Illinois Kluge and G. Schneider (University of Michi- State University (facilitated by T. Cheung, S. gan Museum of Zoology); W. Duellman Little, and P. Schollaert); the Department of (University of Kansas Museum of Natural Zoology, Southern Illinois University at History); R. McDiarmid, R. Reynolds, and G. Carbondale (facilitated by W. Muhlach); and Zug (United States National Museum of the Illinois Natural History Survey (facilitated Natural History); C. Phillips (University of by C. Phillips). Illinois Museum of Natural History); E. Natural History of the Bird- voiced Treefrog {Hyla avivoca) and Green Treefrog {Hyla cinerea) in Southern IlHnois The bird-voiced treefrog, Hyla avivoca Viosca (MAM), Minton Herpetological Collection 1928, Figures 1 and 2, and green treefrog, Hyla (SAM), Southern Illinois University at cinerea (Schneider 1799), Figures 3 and 4, are Carbondale Fluid Vertebrate Collection distributed primarily on the Atlantic and Gulf (SIUC), United States National Museum of coastal plains of the southeastern United States Natural History (USNM), University of Illinois (Conant and Collins 1998). The ranges of both Museum of Natural History (UIMNH). and species reach their northern limits in the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Midwest in southern Illinois where Smith (UMMZ). See the Appendix for a detailed list ( 1961 ) recorded them from Alexander, Jackson, of localities and preserved specimens exam- and Union counties. Because the few docu- ined. mented localities ofthe.se treefrogs in Illinois were, until recently, mainly in or near remnant Current Distribution Austroriparian swamplands (which are disap- Current distributions were determined in the pearing rapidly), concern has been expressed field between 1961 and 1998 by listening for that their continued existence in the state is in the species-specific mating calls and looking jeopardy (Ackerman 1975; Ashton et al. 1976; for individuals in vegetation and on roads in the Dyrkacz 1974). Since Smith's ( 1961 ) compre- vicinity of historic localities and other pre- hensive study The Amphibians and Reptiles of sumed suitable habitats. Most field work was Illinois, few additional records for these species carried out between May and August during have been reported. Carton and Brandon and shortly after the chorusing seasons: May to (1975) studied reproductive ecology and habitat mid-July for H. avivoca and mid-May to early of//, cinerea at a southern Illinois swamp, but August for //. cinerea (this study; Garton and there has been no previous in-depth environ- Brandon 1975). Attempts usually were made mental examination of H. avivoca in Illinois. to collect one or two voucher specimens The objective of this publication is to report the (deposited at SIUC; Appendix). results of our study of the natural history of these two poorly known treefrogs in southern Habitat Illinois. Wherever we heard //. avivoca calling at night, we visited the localities again by day and Materials and Methods recorded information on dominant tree species, including their condition (alive or dead), and and perch Historical Record.s understory species. In 1996 1997, calling male //. avivoca were recorded Historical distributions were documented from sites of five locations: Heron Pond (NW 1/4 sec. 30, published literature, unpublished reports, and at South (SE 1/4 museum specimens. Specimens were exam- T13S, R3E), Hogan's Bottoms R2E), Hogan's Bottoms North ined from the Field Museum of Natural History sec. 23, T13S, 1/4 sec. 23, T13S, R2E), Bell Pond (NE 1/ (FMNH), Illinois Natural History Survey (NE R4E). and Reevesville Swamp (INHS), Illinois State Museum (ISM), Illinois 4 sec. 14, T13S, l/4sec. 31,T13S, R5E). Type of perch, State University (ISU), University of Kansas (NW depth of water below each Museum of Natural History (KU), Lauren E. taxon if plant, and Descriptions of habitat Brown Frog Collection (LEB), Louisiana State perch were recorded. are based on our field observa- University Museum of Natural Science for H. cinerea (LSUMZ). Michael A. Morris Collection tions and information from the literature.