Pine Barrens Tree Frog (Hyla andersonii)

Common Name: Pine Barrens Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla (Dryophytes) andersonii
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog family
Location: United States – Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, and South Carolina
Size: 1.5 to 2 inches (3.8 – 5 cm)

The Pine Barrens Tree Frog is a rare tree frog from eastern United States. They are known for their purple stripe that runs from their eye down their side. There are only three areas that they are found, the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, the Sandhills of the Carolinas, the Florida Panhandle into southern Alabama.The breeding season for the frogs vary depenind on each location. In the pan handle, they breed starting in March and last until September. In New Jersey, the frogs breed from May to July. Finally, the frogs breed from April to September in the Carolinas.

One cool thing about the Pine Barrens Tree Frog is they actually like to lay their eggs in more acidic ponds ranging from 3.8 to 5.9 pH. Females lay between 800 – 1000 eggs. Neither of the parent provides any care for their offspring. The eggs hatch in under a week of being laid and the tadpoles take over 2 months to complete their metamorphosis.

Conservation

They are listed as an endangered species in New Jersey, while listed as significantly rare in North Carolina, and threatened in South Carolina and Alabama. In Florida, their status is rare. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List lists them as Near Threatened. The main threat to these frogs is habitat destruction to make way for more urban development.