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Home > Iowa Academy of Science > Journals & Newsletters > Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science > Volume 108 (2001) > Number 3

 

Document Type

Research

Keywords

gray treefrogs, Hy/a versicolor, Hy/a chrysoscelis, Iowa frogs

Abstract

Historically, the tetraploid and diploid species pair of gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysoscelis, were mapped collectively in Iowa because no macroscopic morphological characteristics useful in recognizing the two species had been found. The present study reports identification and separation of the species by counts of nucleoli in the palpebral membrane of the eye and by measurement of scanning electron micrographs of toepad epithelial projections. Subsequent morphometric data confirm that the two species are morphologically distinct in Iowa but that overlap in characters continues to make macroscopic morphology unreliable for identifying individuals. H. chrysoscelis is distributed sporadically though all but the northeastern quarter of Iowa, while H. versicolor is found roughly southeast of a diagonal line extending from the northeastern to the southwestern corner of the state. A genetically different population appears to reside in Cherokee Co. Iowa.

Publication Date

September 2001

Journal Title

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

108

Issue

3

First Page

79

Last Page

83

Copyright

© Copyright 2001 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

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