Tree frog
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| Image:Agalychnis callidryas.jpg Red-eyed Tree Frog, Agalychnis callidryas | ||||||||||
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Tree frogs are frogs of the family Hylidae. They are of small size, more elegant in form than the true frogs Ranidae, of brighter colors, and more active habits. They feed on insects, which they pursue on the branches of shrubs and trees.
The European tree frogs (for instance Hyla arborea) are common in the middle and south of the continent, and range into Asia and the north of Africa. The species become very noisy on the approach of rain, and are sometimes kept in confinement as a kind of barometer.
In North America there are many common species of tree frog, including Hyla versicolor, a species of gray treefrog, and Hyla cinerea, the green tree frog. The spring peeper is also widespread in the eastern United States and commonly heard on summer and spring evenings.
The tree toad is a popular name for several of the Hylidae. Used without a qualifying epithet, it is equivalent to tree frog. With a qualifying epithet, it is limited to particular species. Hyla versicolor is the changeable tree toad, Trachycephalus lichenatus is the lichened, and T. marmoratus the marbled tree toad.
Classification
The family of the tree frogs is subdivided in four subfamilies and 37-39 genera.
- Pelodryadinae (Austro-Papuan tree frogs)
- Phyllomedusinae (Leaf frogs)
- Hemiphractinae
- Hylinae
References
- This article incorporates text from the Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921).