New County Records and Other Data Since 1996

Acris crepitans Baird - Eastern Cricket Frog

Since publication of Atlas of Amphibians in Tennessee (Redmond, W. H. and A. F. Scott. 1996. The Center for Field Biology, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN. 94 pp.), several applicable taxonomic and nomenclatural changes and numerous reports of new county records have appeared in the literature. Following are comments, accompanied by cited references, on the taxonomic and nomenclatural changes plus an updated distribution map and bibliographical information on new county records as they pertain to the Acris crepitans:

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Changes

In a study of diagnostic characteristics across the combined ranges of Acris crepitans crepitans (Eastern Cricket Frog) and A. c. blanchardi (Blanchard's Cricket Frog), McCallum and Trauth (2006) obtained evidence that suggest no delineation between the two subspecies should be made and that the latter be synonymized with the former. However, Gamble et al. (2008), using fragments of nuclear and mitochondrial genes in separate and combined phylogenetic analyses, concluded that each of the two subspecies warrant full species status and that A. crepitans paludicola (Coastal Cricket Frog) be considered a synonym of A. blanchardi. Except for the presence of A. gryllus in the southern tier counties along the Mississippi border, the only other species of Acris in Tennessee is A. crepitans, which occurs statewide except for the mountainous region of extreme East Tennessee (see Fig. 2 in Gamble et al. 2008).

Literature Cited:

Gamble, T., P. B. Berendzen, , H. B. Shaffer, , D. E. Starkey, and A. M. Simons. 2008. Species limits and phylogeography of North American cricket frogs (Acris: Hylidae). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 48:112-125.

McCallum, M. L. and S. E. Trauth. 2006. An evaluation of the subspecies Acris crepitans blanchardi (Anura, Hylidae). Zootaxa 1104:1-21).

Updated Distribution Map
(Click on the Map for an Enlarged View)

 Literature Containing New County Records

Anderson, Meigs, Moore and Polk counties 

Reynolds, R. G. and M. L. Niemiller, 2011. Northern Cricket Frog. Pp. 263-265 In M. L. Niemiller and R. G. Reynolds (eds.), The amphibians of Tennessee.The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville. 369 pp.

Schacher, W. H. and T. H. Henry. 2001. New county records for amphibians from Bledsoe County, Tennessee. Herpetol. Rev. 32:197-198.

Carroll County

Owen, D. A. S., J. P. Flaherty, K. H. Wild, J. S. Clinger, and C. M. Gienger. 2016. Geographic distribution:Acris crepitans. Herpetol. Rev. 47:246.

Chester County

Butterfield, B. P., R. Sharp, and M. Williams. 1999. Geographic distribution: Acris crepitans crepitans. Herpetol. Rev. 30:105.

DeKalb County

Niemiller, M. L., B. M. Glorioso, G. R. Wyckoff, III, and J. K. Spiess.  2007.  New county records for amphibians in Middle Tennessee.  Herpetol. Rev. 38:234.

Dyer County

Fulbright, M. C, J. P. Flaherty and C. M. Gienger. 2014. Geographic distribution: Acris crepitans. Herpetol. Rev. 45:86. 

Haywood County 

Stanley, J. W. and B. P Butterfield.  2008.  Geographic distribution: Acris crepitans.  Herpetol. Rev. 39:104.

Houston County

Scott, A. F., S. Sutton, and S. Williamson. 2000. New county records of amphibians and turtles from the Western Highland Rim of central Tennessee. Herpetol. Rev. 31:117-118.

Lawrence County 

Stewart, B.  2010.  Geographic distribution:  Acris crepitans.  Herpetol. Rev. 41:102-103.

Macon and Maury counties 

Foster, N. Y., C. Conway, M. Dillashaw, M. Christensen, M. Williams, M. A. Blackmore, S. Burress, B. Ferguson, A. Feustel, C. Gibson, C. Hargrove, J. Johnston, W. Kerr, C. King, A. G. Lowry, T. Manor, B. Mashburn, R. Melson, N. Newton, K. Sanders, A. Villaneuva, H. Weber and J. White.   2013. Geographic distribution of herpetofauna of Middle Tennessee. Herpetol. Rev. 44:484-486.

Marion County 

Davenport, J. M., J. R. Ennen, and A. F. Scott. 2005. New records for amphibians from counties in south-central Tennessee.  Herpetol. Rev. 36:209-210.

Marshall County 

Haislip, N.  2007.  Geographic distribution: Acris crepitans.  Herpetol. Rev. 38:473.

Abbey-Carlton, C., S. Fletcher, and B. Brinkman. 2001. Geographic distribution: Acris crepitans. Herpetol. Rev. 32:269.

Rhea County 

Hedrick, D.  2009.  Geographic distribution: Acris crepitans.  Herpetol. Rev. 40:107. 

Tipton County 

Ennen, J. R. and B. R. Krieser.  2008.  Geographic distribution: Acris crepitans.  Herpetol. Rev. 39:104.

Trousdale County

Glorioso, B. M. and J. Pruett.  2007.  New records for amphibians and reptiles from Trousdale County, Tennessee.  Herpetol. Rev. 38: 247-248.

Williamson County

English, R., and A. English. 2000. Geographic distribution: Acris crepitans.  Herpetol. Rev. 31:249.