Pine Wood Treefrog

About the Pine Wood Treefrog

The pine woods tree frog (Dryophytes femoralis) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to the southeastern United States. Pine woods tree frogs lay eggs in ephemeral water bodies. Eggs generally hatch within 24 hours, and tadpoles metamorphose into baby froglets after 50–75 days at 11–15 mm in length. Tadpoles are remarkably variable; similar to the squirrel tree frog (Dryophytes squirellus), the presence or absence of dragonfly larvae (a predator) induces a dramatic, red-colored tail. Research has shown that chemical cues released by predators and injured tadpoles are enough to trigger these color and body-shape changes, even if there is no direct contact with a predator.

Like many amphibian species' tadpoles, those of the pinewoods tree frog are susceptible to parasitic infection by trematode flatworms. However, tadpoles swim in a manner that does not necessarily reduce the intensity of infection, but reduces the likelihood of these parasites infecting in the head and body region; instead, their swimming behavior shunts parasites to the tail area, where infection by parasites causes fewer harmful effects.

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