An Annotated Bibliography of the
Rio Grande Chirping Frog
(Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi Stejneger)
Rio Grande Chirping Frog
(Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi Stejneger)
Compiled by Tom Lott [TEL] - Last updated: 17 January 2016.
[These bibliographies and their annotations are an on-going project. I have many comments on papers that I have not yet posted but I will attempt to attend to this task as time allows. Comments proffered in the annotations are strictly my own opinions and should be taken as such. If you wish to comment or supply additional references that I have overlooked, you may contact me via E-mail. To correspond with me: tomlott[at]thornscrub[dot]com. Thanks for reading, Tom Lott]
Adams, C.K. and D. Saenz. 2015. Calling ecology of the introduced Rio Grande chirping frog (Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides) – preliminary results. Poster presentation at the Big Thicket Science Conference, to be published in the SE Naturalist. [ABSTRACT: The Rio Grande Chirping Frog’s (Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides) native range stretches from northeastern Mexico to extreme southern Texas; however, it has been rapidly expanding into other parts of Texas presumably by way of accidental human transport, primarily the potted plant trade. Very little information is known about this introduced anuran across most of its introduced range. The purpose of this study is to determine the calling ecology of the introduced Rio Grande Chirping Frog. We surveyed for calling Rio Grande Chirping Frogs at three study sites using automated recording devices set to record for the first minute of every hour each day. We detected frogs calling at all three of our survey sites. Preliminary results indicated that the Rio Grande Chirping frogs can call any month, with calling mainly occurring during the warmer months. Frogs called primarily during dark hours but did occasionally call during the day. The mild climate of eastern Texas appears to be suitable to support an established population of Rio Grande Chirping Frogs. (from abstract - TEL]
Anon. 1978. Species listings for nongame regulations. Tex. Parks Wildl. Dept. Broch. 9000-52: 1-22. [This taxon was briefly accorded "protected" status in Texas apparently in total ignorance of its true situation--an aggressive, easily introduced species. Most of the other "Lower Rio Grande Valley 'endemics'" (e.g., Similisca baudinii [but oddly not Bufo marinus]) remain in this status. -- TEL]
Anon. 2000. Decretos de áreas naturales del Estado de Nuevo León, México. Secretaria de Ecología y Recursos Naturales. Periódico Oficial 2000. [Erroneously reported this species from Cerro El Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (fide Contreras-Lozano et al. 2010) - TEL]
Ashton, R.E. 1976. Endangered and threatened amphibians and reptiles in the United States. Soc. Stud. Amphib. Rept.; Herp Circular (5): 1-65.
Baldauf, R.J. 1987. Houston invaded by frogs . . . and few people know it. Explorer 29(1): 4-6.
Bartlett, R.D. and P.P. Bartlett. 1999b. A Field Guide to Texas Reptiles and Amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas.
Beck, J.W. and R.C. Dobbs. 2008. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 39(1): 105. [Lafayette Parish, La. record and the second documented specimen from Louisiana -- TEL]
Behler, J.L. and F.W. King. 1998. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Blair, W.F. 1949. The biotic provinces of Texas. Texas J. Sci. 2(1):93-117.
Boundy and Gregory 2012. Herpetol. Rev. 43:113–114) [East Baton Rouge Parish, LA record - TEL]
Brach, V. 1992. Discovery of the Rio Grande chirping frog in Smith County, Texas (Anura: Leptodactylidae). Tex. J. Sci. 44(4): 490. [Smith County record. -- TEL]
Brach, V. 1995. The Phantom Chirper. Tex. Parks & Wildl. (Mar 1995) 53(3): 43. [A popular account of the discovery of these frogs in Tyler, Texas with general background information -- TEL]
Brown, B.C. 1950. An annotated check list of the reptiles and amphibians of Texas. Waco, Tex.:Baylor Univ. Studies. [Referred to as Syrrhophus campi Stejenger, the "Valley Chirper." A key is provided, which relies mainly upon distribution of dorsal markings and maximum size (< 27mm in S. campi), to distinguish between Texas' three species. Four locality records, all in Cameron County, are given. Under "Remarks": "In southern Texas Syrrhophus campi is rather abundant in damp situations particularly during the breeding season in early spring. It seems to seek refuge under old boards, bricks, and other damp shelters during the drier part of the year." Brown was a native of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and should have known this species well. -- TEL]
Cochran, D.M. 1961. Type specimens of reptiles and amphibians in the United States National Museum. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. 220:1-291.
____________, and C.J. Goin. 1970. The New Field Book of Reptiles and Amphibians. G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York.
Collins, C.S. and T.J. Hibbitts. 2001. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi. Herpetol. Rev. 32(2): 116. [Brazos Co. record -- TEL]
Conant, R. 1955. Notes on three Texas reptiles, including an addition to the fauna of the state. Amer. Mus. Novit. 1726: 1-6. [Quotes correspondent Ted Beimler (of Brownsville) as having forced freshly caught specimens of Coniophanes imperialis to regurgitate Syrrhophus and Gastrophryne. Beimler also states that he was unable to observe definite effects of this snake's venom on these frogs except for a prolonged lethargy when the frogs managed to escape from a snake's grasp. -- TEL]
Conant, R. 1958. A field guide to the reptiles and amphibians of the United States and Canada east of the 100th meridian. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
_________. 1975. A field guide to the reptiles and amphibians: Eastern and central North America. 2nd edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
_________. and J.T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern-central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
_______________________. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern-central North America, 3rd edition (expanded). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Contreras-Lozano, J.A., Lazcano, D., Contreras-Balderas, A.J. and P.A. Laví n-Murcio. 2010. Notes on Mexican Herpetofauna 14: An Update to the Herpetofauna of Cerro El Potosí, Galeana, Nuevo León, México. Bull. Chicago Herpetol. Soc. 45(3): 41-46. [Deletes this species from the fauna of this locality (strictly defined) as was erroneously reported in a prior publication (Anon. 2000). Documents the presence of E. guttilatus, however - TEL]
Cotten, T. B. 2007. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 38(4): 479. [San Jacinto Co. record -- TEL]
Cox, C.L., Moseley, M.A., Pasichnyk, P.N., Tovar, R.U., Smart, U. and T. Angarita-Sierra. 2012. New county records for reptiles and amphibians from south and southeast Texas. Herpetol. Rev. 43(2): 315-316. [Duval, Jim Wells, Kleberg, and Live Oak Co. Records; corroborates the provisional Goliad Co. record of Lott 2012. "Our new findings indicate that Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides has a greater distribution in Texas than currently suggested in the scientific literature. This frog is thought to be native to the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, but has been reported from geographically disjunct localities elsewhere in the state (Conant and Collins 1998; Dixon 2000). Because the county records we document for Jim Wells, Duval, and Kleberg counties are close to their native range, they may reflect recent range expansion, or a more widespread original distribution. A phylogeographic analysis of this species may prove useful for determining the limits of their native range and where they are invasive." - TEL]
Davis, W.K. 1974. The Mediterranean Gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus, in Texas. J. Herpetol. 8(1): 77-80.
[Proposed that the Med Gecko was originally introduced into Texas at the Port of Brownsville and then inadvertently distributed about the state via produce trucks. Quinn (1979) extended this idea to the diaspora of the Rio Grande Chirper. - TEL]
[Proposed that the Med Gecko was originally introduced into Texas at the Port of Brownsville and then inadvertently distributed about the state via produce trucks. Quinn (1979) extended this idea to the diaspora of the Rio Grande Chirper. - TEL]
de la Reza, A.G., C. Balcome, and T. Schlenke. 1998. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 29(2): 108-109. [Fayette Co. Record; from fairgrounds below sandstone cliffs along the Colorado River - TEL]
Dixon, J.R. 1987. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas. College Station: Texas A&M Press.
________. 1993. Supplement to the literature for the Amphibians and reptiles of Texas, 1987. Smithson. Herpetol. Info. Serv. 94:1-43.
________. 1996b. Ten year supplement to Texas herpetological county records published in Amphibians and reptiles of Texas, 1987. Texas Herpetol. Soc. Spec. Publ. (2):1-64.
________. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas. (2nd edition). College Station: Texas A&M Press [Includes36 literature citations for this species- from which most of these were initially drawn; declines to follow Hedges' lumping of Syrrhophus into a subgenus of Eleutherodactylus - TEL]
________. 2013. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas. 3rd Ed. W. L. Moody, Jr., Nat. Hist. Ser. 25. College Station: Texas A&M University Press. [As Syrrhophus (Eleutherodactylus) cystignathoides, subspecies campi. Provides 50 literature citations for this species in Texas. Range map includes new records for Burnet and Galveston counties that have not appeared elsewhere in the literature. Also erroneously maps and cites a record for Crockett County (Pope et al. 2008) that actually refers to S. marnockii. - TEL]
_______., Hibbitts, T.J., and M.R.J. Forstner. 2007. Texas herpetological literature and county records 2000 to 2006-07. Publ. Tex. Herpetol. Soc. 1(1):1-58.
Dodd, C. Kenneth. 2013. Frogs of the United States and Canada, 2-vol. set. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Kindle Edition. [Author states that the status of campi as a subspecies of cystignathoides should be reexamined using molecular technology (assuming that such can be devised that is sensitive to subspecies). Suggests that breeding season consists of multiple clutches extending over a longer period than is currently recognized - doubtless this varies with latitude. Most natural history information is from Hayes-Odum (1990), but virtually all natural history headings are listed as unknown. A good summary of the taxonomic history is included, with the recognition that some authors continue to refer these frogs to the genus Syrrhophus. - TEL]
Duellman, W.E. and S.S. Sweet. 1999. Distribution patterns of amphibians in the Nearctic Region of North America. Pp. 31-109. In Duellman, W.E. (ed.), Patterns of Distribution of Amphibians. A Global Perspective. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, Md.
Edwards, R.J. G. Longley, R. Ross, J. Ward, R. Matthews, and B. Stewart. 1989. A classification of Texas aquatic communities with special consideration toward the conservation of endangered and threatened taxa. Tex. J. Sci. 41(3): 231-240.
Elbers, J. P. 2007. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus planirostris. Herpetol. Rev. 38(4): 474. [Observes that E. planirostris and the native Gastrophryne carolinensis occur sympatrically in Louisiana, lending credence to the suggestion by Dundee and Rossman (1989) and Goin (1947) that this introduced species may compete with the native microhylid. Since S. cystignathoides and G. olivacea also occur together in Texas (pers. obser.), a similar relationship "could" exist between them -- TEL]
Farr, W. L. and M. R. J. Forstner. 2015. Geographic distribution. ELEUTHERODACTYLUS CYSTIGNATHOIDES CAMPI (Rio Grande Chirping Frog). Herpetol. Rev. 46(4): 559. [Colorado County record. "This is the first county record for this introduced species, with previous records for two (Austin to the northeast and Fayette to the northwest) of the five adjacent counties previously documented (Dixon 2013. . . . Numerous additional calls were heard at this locality and at several other localities in the vicinity, indicating the species is well established in northern Colorado Co. The frog was found out and moving under a bridge at 2309 h. during a light rain." - TEL]
Franklin, C.J. and E.A. Franklin. 2009. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 40():107. [An erroneous citation in Dixon 2013. The correct citation is below. - TEL]
Franklin, C.J. and E.A.P. Catalan. 2009. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 40(1):107. [Dallas County record -- TEL]
Frost, Darrel R. 2014. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 (accessed 11 March 2014). Electronic Database accessible at: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.
Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, De Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green & Wheeler. 2006. The Amphibian Tree of Life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 297: 1-370. [Resurrected the full genus Syrrhophus from a sub-genus of Eleutherodactylus -- TEL]
Garrett, J.M. and D.G. Barker. 1987. A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Texas. Austin: Texas Monthly Press.
Hardy, Laurence M. 2004. Genus Syrrhophus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in Louisiana. The Southwestern Naturalist 49(2): 263-266 . [Abstract: The genus Syrrhophus is recorded for the first time from Louisiana due to the discovery of a population of Syrrhophus cystignathoides in Shreveport. The frogs have been documented during 4 years. Calling males and a female with large yolked eggs indicated that this species was reproducing and surviving. -- TEL]
Harvey, Drew T.; D.L. DeSantis; R.L. Swanson; and T.R. Simpson. 2014. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 45(3):457-458. [Vouchered record for Guadalupe County, corroborating the unvouchered aural record of Wells and Stephenson 2002 -- TEL]
Hayes-Odum, L.A. 1990. Observations on reproduction and embryonic development in Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi (Anura: Leptodactylidae). Southwest. Nat. 35(3): 358-361. [The first recorded observation of amplexus (axial) and oviposition in this taxon. Specimens were observed and collected on the grounds of the Houston Zoological Gardens between 4 April and 11 July 1984. Frogs were sexed mainly on the basis of visible eggs in the abdomens of females and their larger size (22+mm S-V). Nocturnally vocalizing frogs were presumed to be males. Frogs called from perches as high as 22cm above the ground during the night (at air temperatures as low as 20.5oC) but retreated towards lower perches near dawn. Most calling heard after sunrise was from frogs located within tunnels in the ground. A clutch of 5 eggs dug up (close to the surface) at the study site was ca 5mm in diameter and unpigmented even though at stages 11-12 in development. Wild hatchlings (ca. 6mm S-V) were first observed on 6 June. Since reproductive behavior was not observed in the field, such was stimulated among the captive group by the injection of 0.01-0.02cc of synthetic gonadotrophin releasing hormone into both sexes. Interactions between the frogs "appeared" to be territorial and one occasion a female "appeared" to be soliciting amplexus from a presumed male. Incubation took from 14 to 16 days at temperatures from 27-33oC. Three clutches of eggs were observed, numbering 5, 10, and 13. Drawings of embryos at stages 6-7, 11-12, 12-13, and 15 are provided. Development was compared to that of Eleutherodactylus coqui (Townsend and Stewart 1985) but did not correspond exactly -- TEL]
Hedges, S.B., Duellman, W.E. & Heinicke, M.P. 2008. New World Direct-developing Frogs (Anura: Terrarana): Molecular Phylogeny, Classification, Biogeography, and Conservation. Zootaxa 1737: 1-182. [The Family Eleutherodactylidae ("Free-toed Frogs") is resurrected to include all US members of Eleutherodactylus/Syrrhophus -- TEL]
Heinicke, M.P., Duellman, W.E. and Hedges, S.B. 2007. Major Caribbean and Central American Frog Faunas Originated by Ancient Ocenaic Dispersal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(24): 9913-10294 [Once again returns genus Syrrhophus to Eleutherodactylus -- TEL]
Hibbitts, T.J. and D. Laurencio. 2006. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 37(4): 491. [Grimes County record -- TEL]
Hibbitts, T.J. and D. Saenz. 2007. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 38(3): 350. [Nacodoches County record -- TEL]
Hickel, Marissa R., Zachary C. Adcock, Shawn F. McCracken, and Michael R. J. Forstner. 2015. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides (=Syrrhophus cystignathoides). (Rio Grande Chirping Frog). Herpetol. Rev. 46(2): 211. [Fort Bend County record - TEL]
Holtcamp, W. 2004. It's not easy being green: a tale of Texas frogs. Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. May, 2004 [cites capture of E. cystignathoides at Brazos Bend State Park by TP&W personnel - TEL]
Jackson, J., Forstner, M.R.J., and J.R. Dixon. 2012. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 43(3): 439. [Bastrop County record. Specimen was collected, but the species was also detected in an audio chorus survey for the first time in this county on 29 March 2012. Since such surveys have been conducted in the area since 1995, this is taken as evidence that the species is newly arrived in the county - TEL]
Lazcano, D., Contreras-Lozano, J.A., Gallardo-Valdez, J., García del Peña, C. and G. Castañeda. 2009. Notes on Mexican Herpetofauna 11: Herpetological Diversity in Sierra “Cerro de La Silla” (Saddleback Mountain), Nuevo León, Mexico. Bull. Chicago Herpetol. Soc. 44(2): 21-27. [Present in the "Cerro de la Silla" natural protected area of Nuevo Leon, Mexico at elevations of 930-1800 m, mostly in the "low semi-evergreen forest" plant community. - TEL]
Lee, J. Eric. 2014. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 45(3): 457. [Vouchered record for Comal County, corroborating the unvouchered aural record of Wells and Stephenson 2002 -- TEL]
Linum, L.A. 2012. Wild Thing: Hitchhiking Herp. Tex. Parks & Wildl. (Apr 2012) 70(3): 14. [Lee Ann Linum has a short piece in this month's issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine about the Rio Grande Chirping Frog. It's mostly an accurate, very general natural history summary and includes a pitch for volunteers in TP&W's Texas Amphibian Watch program, which Ms. Linum administers. Resembling the various Breeding Bird Atlas projects throughout the country, the Amphibian Watch assigns volunteers to their own specific routes in the state which they agree to monitor (according to a standardized protocol) and report on several times during the calendar year. Obviously, a familiarity with the calls of the amphibians inhabiting the area in which a participant's route is located is a requirement. -- TEL]
[Article PDF]
[Article PDF]
Lott, T. 2012. Observations on the Distribution of the Rio Grande Chirping Frog, Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides campi, in the United States (Anura: Leptodactylidae). SWCHR Bulletin 2(1): 8-12. [Arguing that the traditional method of relying solely on museum specimens to document the range of invasive species is inadequate, this paper uses several non-traditional sources (including the NAFHA database) to render what is a more extensive, but still extremely conservative estimate of this species' distribution in Texas and Louisiana. Previously unpublished historical information about the Brazoria and Bexar county populations is provided. Atascosa and Victoria county records. Goliad County added to the provisional range list. - TEL] [PDF]
_________. 2014. Update on the distribution of the Rio Grande Chirping Frog, Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides campi, in the United States (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae). SWCHR Bulletin 4(2): 19-21.
[Provides a summary of published and citizen science records since the previous list. Noted are fourteen counties in Texas (11 new counties + 3 upgraded from provisional status), 1 additional parish in Louisiana, and 1 county in the state of Alabama that have been added to the known distribution of this species in the US. Includes a revised map and a photo of the Jefferson County, TX specimen - TEL] [PDF]
Lutterschmidt, W.I. and M.L. Thies. 1999. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 30(1): 51. [Walker County record -- TEL]
Lynch, J.D. 1970. A taxonomic revision of the leptodactylid frog genus Syrrhophus Cope. Univ. Kans. Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist. 20(1): 1-45. [Revision of genus, placing S. campi into the Mexican species S. cystignathoides as a subspecies. -- TEL]
Magno-Naoe, C. F., A. R. MacLaren, S. F. McCracken, and M. R. J. Forstner. 2015. Geographic distribution ELEUTHERODACTYLUS CYSTIGNATHOIDES (=SYRRHOPHUS CYSTIGNATHOIDES) (Rio Grande Chirping Frog). Herpetol. Rev. 46(4): 559. [Bell and Hays county records. Bell: "This discovery occurs within the previously documented E. cystignathoides expansion between Dallas and Travis counties. We suspect expansion of this species will continue northward. Unvouchered records of E. cystignathoides from Bell Co. exist at the Texas Natural History Collection, but this specimen represents the first confirmed and published record of E. cystignathoides record from the county. The nearest (previously unreported) record is 29 km E (TNHC 84601). This species was heard during anuran call surveys at Cedar Gap Park on Stillhouse Lake. Two adult specimens (21.7 mm and 22.8 mm SUL) were collected. Both specimens were captured while calling near one another among dead trees and brush. Anuran calls were only heard on the north side of the park where rotting, flotsam logs had accumulated." Hays: "The nearest previously documented record is ca. 22.5 km E in Caldwell Co. (TNHC 89683). The record fills the distributional gap among the surrounding counties of Travis, Caldwell, Guadalupe, and Comal. This species was initially observed on 25 April 2015 during anuran call surveys. Two adult specimens (25.5 mm and 21.5 mm SUL) were collected 27 April 2015. The first individual was captured in a concrete crevice near railroad tracks at Rio Vista Park. The second individual was captured on top of a fallen tree limb in Crook Park, 0.38 km S of Rio Vista. Numerous additional individuals were heard calling at both sites." - TEL]
Malone, J.H. 1999. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 30(4): 232. [Liberty County record -- TEL]
Mather, C.M., and J.R. Dixon. 1976. Geographic records of some Texas amphibians and reptiles. Herpetol. Rev. 7(3): 127. [Bexar County record. First reference to the introduced population of this species occurring in San Antonio, Texas. No specific locality is listed. -- TEL]
McAllister, C.T., and P. Freed. 1992. Larval Abbreviata sp. (Spirurida: Physalopteridae) in introduced Rio Grande chirping frogs, Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi (Anura: Leptodactylidae), from Houston, Texas. Tex J. Sci. 44(3): 359-361.
Maclaren, Andrew R., Zachary C. Adcock, Shawn F. McCracken, and Michael R. J. Forstner. 2015. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides (=Syrrhophus cystignathoides). (Rio Grande Chirping Frog). Herpetol. Rev. 46(2): 211-212. [Robertson County record - TEL]
McConnell, R., T. McConnell, C. Guyer and D. Laurencio. 2015. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides (Rio Grande Chirping Frog). Herpetol. Rev. 46(4): 558-559.
[Alabama state record. Mobile County. "This locality extends the species range eastward by 275 km from the nearest location in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Boundy and Gregory 2012. Herpetol. Rev. 43:113–114)." - TEL]
[Alabama state record. Mobile County. "This locality extends the species range eastward by 275 km from the nearest location in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Boundy and Gregory 2012. Herpetol. Rev. 43:113–114)." - TEL]
McCord, J.S. 1993a. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi. Herpetol. Rev. 24:64
[Nueces County record, from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, Mustang Island. - TEL]
[Nueces County record, from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, Mustang Island. - TEL]
McCoid, M.J. 2005. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 36(2): 199. [Brazoria County record. But has been unofficially present in that county since 1977(see Lott 2012) - TEL]
McGown, L., M.T. Dixon, and L.K. Ammerman. 1994. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 25(1): 32. [Tarrant County record. "Introduced into the San Antonio and Houston area via the plant nursery trade, and possibly arrived in Fort Worth in a similar manner. The frogs have established themselves in rocky areas along a two mile stretch on the bluff of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River." - TEL]
Merker, Gerald. 1999. The Lovely Cliff Chirping Frog. Reptile Hobbyist March, 1999: 44-48. [Provides field observations, photos of S. marnockii (along with S. c. campi and S. guttilatus; erroneously states that the latter is "protected" by the state of Texas), as well as rare captive management techniques. States that S. marnockii has not been bred in captivity -- TEL]
Morafka, D.J. 1977. A biogeographical analysis of the Chihuahuan desert through its herpetofauna. Biogeographica 9: 1-313.
Olson, R.E. 1958. An Inquiry Into the Status of the Texas Frogs of the Genus Syrrhophus. Bull. S.W. Tex. Herp. Soc. 1(1): 4 [Author states that except for "trivial" differences in size, almost no differences exist between S. marnocki and S. campi. Comparing dorsal markings on thirteen preserved S. campi (collected in 1925 by R.D. Camp himself) in the Witte Memorial Museum collection with preserved S. marnocki, Olson found "no appreciable difference between the marking (such as it could be determined) on the preserved campi and the marnocki." He also cites his collection of a topotypical S. marnocki with a reticulate dorsal pattern (supposedly a character of the similar sized S. gaigeae (= S. guttilatus) as an indication that the incidence of the reticulate pattern might increase to the west in marnocki, making gaigeae at best a subspecies of S. marnocki. Olson provides comparative measurements of a typical marnocki and his reticulate specimen from the same locality. Line drawings of the dorsum of each specimen are also presented. He concludes that: "There is much need for collecting aiming for Syrrhophus in the counties between Bexar and Cameron, and Uvalde to Brewster," clearly implying that the three taxa are conspecific. -- TEL] [PDF]
Owen, J.G. 1989. Patterns of herpetofaunal species richness : Relation to temperature, precipitation, and variance in elevation. J. Biogeogr. 16:141-150.
Owen, J.G. and J.R. Dixon. 1989. An ecogeographic analysis of the herpetofauna of Texas. Southwest Nat. 34(2): 165-180.
Parmley, D. 1988a. Additional Pleistocene amphibians and reptiles from the Seymour Formation, Texas. J. Herpetol. 22(1): 82-87.
Parmley, D. 1988b. Middle Holocene herpetofauna of Klein Cave, Kerr County, Texas. Southwest. Nat. 33(3): 378-382.
Patterson, S. 2012. Parting Shot. Tex. Parks & Wildl. (Apr 2012) 70(3): 58. [Photographer Seth Patterson captured a macro head shot of a Rio Grande Chirping Frog during a rainy spell in the Rio Grande Valley. He used a Canon 7D camera with a 100mm macro lens @ f16, 1/200th, and ISO 400 -- TEL] [Image]
Powell, E.A. 2014. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 45(2): 276. [Another Travis County record, this time with a voucher specimen and a specific locality. This county was previously mapped without comment by Tipton et al. 2012 - TEL]
Quinn, H. R. 1979b. The Rio Grande chirping frog, Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi (Amphibia, Leptodactylidae), from Houston, Texas. Trans. Kans. Acad. Sci. 82(4):209-10. [Harris County record. Recorded populations of this frog from three different locations in Houston. Size differences were taken to indicate that the populations were successfully reproducing at these locations. Suggested that frogs might have been introduced via produce shipments from its "natural" range in the Rio Grande Valley in a manner similar to that proposed for Hemidactylus turcicus (Davis 1974). -- TEL]
Raun, G.G. and F.R. Gehlbach. 1972. Amphibians and reptiles in Texas. Dallas Mus. Nat. Hist. Bull. 2: 1-61. [As Syrrhophus cystignathoides; provided 14 citations and no maps for this species, stating that it was known only from Cameron and Hidalgo counties - TEL]
Reddell, J.R. 1970. A checklist of the cave fauna of Texas. VI. Additional records of Vertebrata. Tex. J. Sci. 22(2-3): 139-158.
Ribble, David O. 2014. Headwaters at Incarnate Word Biodiversity Study April 2011- April 2012. Prepared for Headquarters at Incarnate Word and San Antonio River Authority. Downloaded 21 July 2014. [A report on a year-long study of the biodiversity of the terrestrial vertebrates found on property owned by Incarnate Word University in San Antonio at the headwaters of the San Antonio River. Reports that both E. marnockii and E. cystignathoides were found occurring sympatrically (but not syntopically) in the study area, with 5 specimens of the latter and one of the former documented in total. However, in the accompanying photographs the photo labeled "S. marnockii" appears to be of that form, while the photo of "S. cystignathoides" is clearly that of a recently transformed Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo {Incilius} nebulifer). This is rather disappointing considering that this locality is one that could provide evidence of the sympatry/syntopy of these forms, lying as it does along the southern edge of the Balcones Fault Zone - TEL] [PDF]
Schmidt, F. J. 2004. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi. Herpetol. Rev. 35 (4): 407 [Wilson County record (Eagle Creek Ranch subdivision). Adult collected from under a board 29 JUN 2004, others heard calling during MAY 2004 at same location. -- TEL]
Schmidt, K.P. 1953. A checklist of North American amphibians and reptiles. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Sinclair, T. A., J. T. Williams and Wahlberg, S. A. 2007. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 38 (2): 216. [Austin Co. record. Specimen found in torpid condition under a log with Eumeces fasciatus in Stephen F. Austin State Park on 3 JAN 2007-- TEL]
Smith, C. E. and E. P. Hoaglund. 2008. Geographic distribution. Eleutherodactylus (= Syrrhophus) cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 39(3): 362. [Montgomery Co. record -- TEL]
Smith, H.M. and H.K. Buechner. 1947. The influence of the Balcones Escarpment on the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Texas. Bull. Chi. Acad. Sci. 8(1): 1-16.
Smith, H.M. and S. Barlowe. 1978. Amphibians of North America. A Guide to Field Identification. Golden Press, New York.
Smith, H.M., and J.R. Dixon. 1987. The amphibians and reptiles of Texas: A guide to records needed from Mexico. Bull. Md. Herpetol. Soc. 23(4): 154-157.
Smith, H.M., and O. Sanders. 1952a. Distributional data on Texas amphibians and reptiles. Tex. J. Sci. 4(2): 204-219.
Smith, H.M. and E.H. Taylor. 1948. An annotated checklist and key to the amphibia of Mexico. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. 194:1-118.
___________. 1950a. Type localities of Mexican reptiles and amphibians. Univ. Kans. Sci. Bull. 33: 313-379.
Stejneger, L. 1915. A new species of tailless batrachian from North America. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 28:131. [The original description of S. campi -- TEL]
Strecker, J.K. 1915. Reptiles and amphibians of Texas. Baylor Univ. Bull. 18(4): 1-82 [Published the same year as Stejneger's description of S. campi, this taxon was not included in this work but was added in an addendum issued later, "150a. Syrrhophus campi Stejneger. Camp's Frog. Described from Brownsville in the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, Vol. 28, pages 131, 132, June 29, 1915." -- TEL]
Swanson, R.L., Farallo, V.R., Troy, J.R., Hood, G.R. and Forstner, M.R.J. 2008. Geographical distribution. Eleutherodactylus (=Syrrhophus) cystignathoides campi. Herpetol. Rev. 39(4): 478. [Bee County record. "A single adult was found and captured by hand under a piece of plywood near a drainage ditch running parallel with the eastbound frontage of Highway 59" at the intersection of [US] 181 -- TEL]
Swanson, Romey Lynn. 2009. Temporal and spatial trends of the amphibians, reptiles, and mammals of the relict Ottine Wetlands. MS Thesis, Texas State University. Pp. 1-83. [During a sixteen month study of this area that has been described as a bit of east Texas that has been dropped into central Texas, Swanson did not find or hear any E. cystignathoides. The species has since been reported from that county (Gonzales) by Harrison (2013), but it is unknown whether his audio vouchers came from an anthropogenic area or from a relatively natural locale such as the Ottine Swamp. In much of eastern Texas where this frog occurs it has been characterized as being able to subsist in areas that remain more-or-less "natural". - TEL] [LINK]
Taggart, T. W. 1997. Geographical distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 28(2): 94 [Nueces County record (but see McCord 1993). Waldron Naval Air Landing Field, 1 SEP 1995. Three adults by day under plywood, 14 adults chorusing at night "from laurel oaks, cattails, and from the tops of 1 m tall grass clumps." -- TEL]
Taylor, E.H. 1947. A bibliography of Mexican amphibiology. Univ. Kans. Sci. Bull. 34:543-589.
Tihen, J.A. 1960. Notes on late Cenozoic hylid and leptodactylid frogs from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Southwest. Nat. 5(2): 66-70.
Tihen, J.A. 1960. Notes on late Cenozoic hylid and leptodactylid frogs from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Southwest. Nat. 5(2): 66-70.
Tipton, B.L., Hibbitts, T.L., Hibbitts, T.J., Hibbitts, T.D. and T.J. LaDuc. 2012. Texas Amphibians: A Field Guide. University of Texas Press: Austin, 2012. Softcover. 325 pp. [Depicts a range covering much of east and south Texas with continuous shading over most known localities. Adds records (via map shading) for Bosque, Hill, Travis, and Williamson counties without comment. Follows Dixon (2000) in retaining Syrrhophus for generic name - TEL]
Turner, F.B. 1960. Post metamorphic growth in anurans. Am. Midl. Nat. 64(2): 327-238.
Turner, F.B. 1962. The demography of frogs and toads. Q. Rev. Biol. 37(4): 303-314.
Wallace, J. Eric. 2005. Eleutherodactylus (=Syrrhophus) cystignathoides (Cope, 1878a "1877). Rio Grande Chirping Frog. in Lannoo, Michael (ed.), Amphibian Declines: the conservation status of United States species. Berkeley: Univ. of Cal. Press, pp. 494-495. [Provides a general summary of taxonomic, ecological, and life history, relying heavily on Wright and Wright (1949) and Hayes-Odum (1990). Presents a very conservative, outdated distribution map by counties. Notes that these frogs have no state or federal conservation status. States that predators of this species are unknown, ignoring Conant's (1955) note of a Coniophanies imperialis regurgitating it. Concludes with: "The recent introduction of Rio Grande chirping frogs . . . may place introduced frogs in direct contact with resident populations of cliff chirping frogs and other amphibians. The repercussions of this interaction are unknown, but detrimental effects could include introduction of novel disease pathogens, competition, and/or hybridization. Measures should be instituted to decrease the likelihood of further introductions." - TEL]
Wauer, R. 1980. Naturalist's Big Bend. An introduction to the trees and shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, and insects. College Station: Texas A&M University Press.
Williams, A.A., Williams, A.J, and K. Manuel. 2012. Geographic distribution. Syrrhophus cystignathoides. Herpetol. Rev. 43(3): 439. [Calcasieu Parish, LA. record - a male calling from a "wooded area of dense thicket and briar" in Moss Bluff. E. planirostris is also known from this parish - TEL]
Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1931. Some Stejneger species photographed from life. Copeia 1931:83-85.
Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1938. Amphibians of Texas. Proc. Trans. Tex. Acad. Sci. 21(2): 5-44.
Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1949. Handbook of frogs and toads of the United States and Canada. Ithaca, N.Y.: Comstock Publishing Co. [Perhaps the best (and wonderfully anecdotal) account of this species yet published, from notes made more than seventy years ago - TEL ]
Xue Zhi Dai and D. E. Wells. 2000. Short Communication: Vgl Orthology in the Direct Developing Frog, Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi. DNA Sequence 11(5): 433 - 437. [Abstract: Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi is a direct developing frog species that matures without passing through a larval (tadpole) stage. We have cloned and sequenced the Syrrhophus cDNA orthologous to the Xenopus Vgl cDNA. The Syrrhophus Vgl (sVgl) cDNA spans 1323 nucleotides and encodes a predicted protein of 345 amino acids which is 81% identical at its carboxyl terminal end to Xenopus Vgl. In addition, it contains seven conserved cysteine residues present in all Vgl related proteins. Despite this high degree of similarity it is apparently missing a conserved N-linked glycosylation site and has an altered proteolytic processing sequence. Interestingly it is also missing a nine nucleotide sequence in its 3' UTR believed to be important for mRNA localization in Xenopus and Drosophila. These sequence variations could alter the functional expression and localization of the protein. -- TEL]
Internet Resources
Rio Grande Chirping Frog page [Excellent site maintained by a group at the University of Houston. Includes the following:
Natural history
Current research at the University of Houston
Molecular tool development
Developmental analysis
Evolutionary aspects
Captive breeding project
Related web sites
Sound bite of call
Numerous photos
Photographic sequence of morphological development from egg to hatching - TEL]
Natural history
Current research at the University of Houston
Molecular tool development
Developmental analysis
Evolutionary aspects
Captive breeding project
Related web sites
Sound bite of call
Numerous photos
Photographic sequence of morphological development from egg to hatching - TEL]
AmphibiaWeb Species Account [Under Eleutherodactylus, provides a generally up to date summary of taxonomic and natural history references for this taxon -- TEL]
Frost, Darrel R. 2004. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 3.0 (22 August, 2004). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. [Under Eleutherodactylus, provides synonomy, English names, distribution, contained taxa, incertae sedis, and comments -- TEL]
Arctos Multi-Institution, Multi-Collection Museum Database. http://arctos.database.museum/SpecimenResultsHTML.cfm. Accessed 3 March 2013. [A specimen cataloged into the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology collection at the University of California - Berkeley (MVZ: Herp: 129136) as "Syrrhophus cystignathoides" from " Four-mile Cave, 3.5 mi N Del Rio, Val Verde County" collected on 26 April 1975 by Samuel S. Sweet, also likely represents an erroneous identification due to the facts that it was taken 1) in a cave, and 2) to the north of Del Rio, where the karst-dwelling E. marnockii is well-known (Arctos DB 2013). Consequently, this specimen should not be considered a Val Verde County record until its identity is verified - although it should not prove surprising if E. cystignathoides is found existing edificially within the city itself.
UPDATE: Email from Eric Lee:" I located and contacted Carol Spencer of the MVZ Collection at Berkeley and had them send me pictures of the voucher in question (MVZ:Herp:129136). I then conferred with Travis LaDuc at UT’s Department of Integrative Biology, who then forwarded the pictures to Tom Devitt, also at DIB. The consensus was that MVZ:Herp:129136 was indeed E. marnockii. I have since passed this information along to Carol who agreed to update their database. MVZ:Herp:129136 is now correctly cataloged as E. marnockii." - TEL]
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