Spring Peeper

(Pseudacris crucifer)

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Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5 - Secure
S4 - Apparently Secure

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Spring peeper species is easily identified by a distinctive “X”-shaped mark on its back.

Size

Total length: ¾″ to 1½″

Voice

Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), Midwest Region

Frog and Toad Calls

The male mating call is a high-pitched “peep” repeated once per second. Older males call faster than younger males. The sound has been compared to a tiny bell, a baby chick, and a cricket. It can be heard from April through May.

Similar Species

Habitat

Woodlands, woodland edges, ponds, wetlands, and wet meadows.

Ecology

Behavior

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Life Cycle

Tadpole Food

Adult Food

Small aquatic and terrestrial insects and other invertebrates.

Distribution

Sources

6, 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 1/8/2025).

HerpMapper. 2026. HerpMapper - A Global Herp Atlas and Data Hub. Iowa, U.S.A. Available http://www.herpmapper.org. (Accessed: 1/8/2025).

USGS National Amphibian Atlas. https://armi.usgs.gov/atlas/. Accessed 1/8/2025).

Occurrence

Common

Taxonomy

Class

Amphibia (Amphibians)

Order

Anura (Frogs)

Family

Hylidae (Treefrogs and Allies)

Genus

Pseudacris (Chorus Frogs)

Subfamily

Most sources place the genus Pseudacris in the large subfamily Hylinae, including NCBI, AmphibiaWeb, and Amphibian Species of the World 6.1. ITIS places the genus in the narrowly circumscribed subfamily Acridinae. Wikipedia is inconsistent but on the genus page it lists the subfamily as Acrisinae, and on that subfamily page it lists Acridinae as a synonym.

Genus

This species was formerly placed in the genus Hyla. It was transferred to the genus Pseudacris in 1984 based on allozyme data. Molecular data in 2004 supported the transfer.