Holarctic Treefrogs

(Dryophytes spp.)

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Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy

Overview

Dryophytes is a newly resurrected genus of treefrogs that has been given the common name Holarctic Treefrogs. There are twenty species of Dryophytes worldwide. Seventeen species occur only in North America. Three species occur in eastern Asia. Only two species occur in Minnesota.

Holarctic Treefrogs are found in forests and wetlands. As the common name suggests, they mostly live in trees, but can often found be seen on vegetation near the ground.

Description

Holarctic Treefrogs are small, green or gray frogs.

Due to the great difficulty in distinguishing between the two treefrog species in Minnesota, only those photos verified by an expert will be identified to the species level. All other treefrog photos and sightings will be identified only to the genus level.

Distribution

Sources

7, 14, 24, 29, 30, 78.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 1/1/2026).

USGS National Amphibian Atlas. https://armi.usgs.gov/atlas/. Accessed 1/1/2026).

The counties in light green represent distribution data from the USGS ARMI National Amphibian Atlas that does not occur in any of the other sources. It reflects a modeled or generalized range map based on the 2005 Lannoo status assessment. It is a tool for understanding the broad distribution of a species across the U.S. landscape, but it should not be treated as a list of confirmed county-level observation records, especially where it contradicts more rigorous state-level herpetological databases.

Taxonomy

Class

Amphibia (Amphibians)

Order

Anura (Frogs)

Family

Hylidae (Treefrogs and Allies)

Genus

The genus Dryophytes was originally described in 1843. In 1882 all Dryophytes species were transferred to the genus Hyla, which then contained all treefrog species in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2014 North American species were placed in the new subgenus Dryophytes. In 2016 the subgenus was raised to genus level, resurrecting the original genus. Today, the genus Hyla now contains only Old World species. All North American treefrog species, and three species in temperate eastern Asia, now belong to the genus Dryophytes. The common name for the genus is Holarctic Treefrogs.

The last move was not universally accepted. Amphibian Species of the World, The Center for North American Herpetology, Catalogue of Life, GBIF, ITIS, NatureServe, and NCBI use Dryophytes. iNaturalist, AmphiaWeb, MNHerps, Discover Life, and National Amphibian Atlas (USGS) all continue to use the genus Hyla.

Subordinate Taxa

American green Tree Frog (Dryophytes cinerea)

Arboreal Tree Frog (Dryophytes arboricola)

Barking Tree Frog (Dryophytes gratiosa)

Bird-voiced Tree Frog (Dryophytes avivoca)

Bocourt’s Tree Frog (Dryophytes bocourti)

Canyon Tree Frog (Dryophytes arenicolor)

Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Dryophytes chrysoscelis)

Gray Treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor)

Japanese Tree Frog (Dryophytes japonica)

Mountain Tree Frog (Dryophytes eximia)

Pine Barrens Tree Frog (Dryophytes andersonii)

Pine woods Tree Frog (Dryophytes femoralis)

Ridged Tree Frog (Dryophytes plicata)

Southern Highland Tree Frog (Dryophytes euphorbiacea)

Spotless Tree toad (Dryophytes immaculata)

Squirrel Tree Frog (Dryophytes squirella)

Suweon Tree Frog (Dryophytes suweonensis)

Walker’s Tree Frog (Dryophytes walkeri)

Wright’s Mountain Tree Frog (Dryophytes wrightorum)

Yellow-bellied Tree Frog (Dryophytes flaviventris)

Synonyms

Epedaphus

Common Names

Ameroasian Tree Frogs

Ameroasian Treefrogs

Holarctic Treefrogs

Treefrogs

Visitor Photos

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Theron S.

Noticed two of these on the leaves of some milkweed I have in my garden. Small and green against the green of the milkweed.

Alfredo Colon

…the size of a dime, on the grass.

Luciearl

Justin

found in our kitchen

found this little guy jumping across our kitchen counter.

Nagarjuna Basupalli

Mike B.

Molly and Robert Power

We get lots of frogs at our house! Our daughters love catching them. (Yes, that's a real frog clinging to her earring!)

Bill Giese

Pamala Roland

Sarah K

Mike Poeppe

I found this tree frog today resting on some dill in front of my house just west of Houston, MN.

Joe Adams

Vicky Fabre

White Bear

Frog Lover

Hangs out in Magnolia tree and on lighted deck

Ramona Abrego

Julie Nelson

Reba Twito

Margot Avey

These little frogs were in Ramsey, MN... Taken yesterday

These were fun to find! My little friends were VERY tiny! Taken in the Trial Gardens at Lake Harriet, Minneapolis MN

Phillip

Kirk Nelson

Sierra Cowing

Approximately an inch long. Both are same frog.

Brian Blom

James Folden

Randy

Gray tree frog perched in a bald cypress at marsh's edge, Freeborn County, Minn., June 2017

Wayne Rasmussen

Bill Reynolds

Minnesota Seasons Photos

Slideshows

Visitor Videos

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Visitor Sightings