Pseudacris triseriata maculata
Boreal chorus frog
Photo by Tom R. Johnson

Key Characteristics

The Boreal Chorus Frog is a small, brown, reddish, tan, gray or olive frog (adult length 1.9-3.8 cm/0.75-1.5 in) with three dark, sometimes broken, stripes on its back. The Boreal Chorus Frog lacks dorsolateral folds on its back. There also is a distinctive white or cream-colored stripe along the upper lip bordered above by a dark stripe from the nostril through the eye and along the side of the body. The breeding call of a Boreal Chorus Frog is a short, rising, scratchy "cree-ee-ee-ee-eek" which has been compared to the sound made when running a thumbnail down the teeth of a fine-toothed comb. The Boreal Chorus Frog has shorter hind legs, greenish back stripes and a longer and slower breeding call than the Western Chorus Frog.

Status and Rank

  • State Status: SC - Special Concern (rare or uncertain; not legally protected)
  • State Rank: S1 - Critically imperiled
  • Global Rank: G5 - Secure

Occurrences

County NameNumber of OccurrencesYear Last Observed
Keweenaw11964
Occurrence Map for [Sname]

Information is summarized from MNFI's database of rare species and community occurrences. Data may not reflect true distribution since much of the state has not been thoroughly surveyed.

Habitat

In Michigan, the Boreal Chorus Frog is known only from Isle Royale in Lake Superior where it primarily occurs along the island’s rocky shoreline/bedrock lakeshore and adjacent boreal forest as well as some inland bogs and swamps. The species breeds in small pools filled by rain or waves along the shoreline. When the Boreal Chorus Frogs are not chorusing or laying eggs, they are presumably in the boreal forest, probably within a few hundred meters of the breeding pools. Chorus frogs tend to remain near their breeding sites year-round, spending most of their time hidden beneath logs, rocks, and leaf litter or in loose soil or animal burrows. They hibernate in these places as well.

Specific Habitat Needs

Downed woody debris needed in Boreal forest, Bog

Natural Community Types

Management

Maintenance and protection of breeding pools and adjacent forested or open habitat are essential for management and conservation of the Boreal Chorus Frog. The areas in which Boreal Chorus Frogs have been documented should be monitored and maintained. Connectivity between breeding pools/ponds and adjacent forested or open habitats should be maintained. If timber harvesting is going to occur in forested habitats adjacent to breeding ponds, partial harvest techniques should be employed to maintain cool, moist microclimates. A natural forest buffer of 30 m (100 feet) or more or at least the width of local tree heights should be maintained around breeding ponds if possible. The use of herbicides, pesticides or other related chemicals should be limited or avoided in Boreal Chorus Frog habitat, especially near breeding sites. Woody debris, rocks, leaf litter and other cover objects should be maintained to provide habitat for this species.

Active Period

Breeding from first week of May to second week of July

Survey Methods

The best way to survey for Boreal Chorus Frogs is to listen for breeding calls from adult males during the breeding season. In the spring, adults will congregate at breeding ponds and begin calling as soon as most of the snow has melted. Although Boreal Chorus Frogs on Isle Royale can breed and lay eggs from May through early July, the best time for conducting frog call surveys appears to be in May. Call surveys can be conducted in the evening or at night but also during the day. Visual encounter surveys also can be conducted for adult Boreal Chorus Frogs and their tadpoles at breeding sites in the spring and summer from May until mid-July to mid-August.

References

Survey References

Technical References

Page Citation

Michigan Natural Features Inventory. 2007. Rare Species Explorer (Web Application). Available online at http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/explorer [Accessed Nov 23, 2009]