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Osteopilus septentrionalis juvenile
Body color is highly variable, ranging from whitish to gray, green, or brown, and may be marked with irregular, dark stripes or blotches that fade when the frog changes color. Skin is warty (some warts quite prominent). The armpits and groin may be washed with yellow. Juvenile body color is olive-brown; sides are often marked with light stripes. Juveniles often have reddish eyes, and blue bones that can best be seen through the skin on the underside of the hind legs (show in the lower left inset image above). Like all treefrogs, this species has enlarged, sticky toepads; toepads are quite large in this species, usually much wider than the toepads of native treefrogs. http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/cub...
Native to Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. Introduced throughout the Caribbean, in Hawaii, and in Florida. Possible isolated population in southeastern Texas. Found throughout peninsular Florida, the Keys, and isolated areas of the panhandle, on buildings and in trees in urbanized and natural areas near breeding sites. Breeds in any shallow, fish-free water, including bottomland and floodplain forests and swamps, cypress domes, marshes, wet flatwoods, manmade ponds, ditches, birdbaths, buckets, and swimming pools. Often moves to breeding sites in large numbers after early-season rains. http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/cub...
Per the University of Florida IFAS Extension site...."Because of the destructive effects of invasive Cuban Treefrogs on Florida's native species, as well as the problems they cause for people, we recommend that Cuban Treefrogs be captured and humanely euthanized. However, before you euthanize a Cuban Treefrog, be sure that you are positive about its identification (please visit the UF Wildlife website at http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/cuan_tree... for identification tips and to see digital images of Cuban Treefrogs and native species). You should also consider collecting data on the Cuban Treefrogs you remove from your yard and share this information with University of Florida biologists by joining our growing network of citizen scientists. Visit the program's website at http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/citizen_s... to sign up and start submitting your information—it's free. At the site you will find lots of helpful information about catching, identifying, and reporting Cuban Treefrogs". http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw259
Thank you very much LoisStacey and LIsaPowers for your help! I emailed Dr. Steve A. Johnson, University of Florida/IFAS to see if he could help with the ID. Meantime, I will call it a Cuban tree frog and list the information as same. I enlarged one photo and did see tiny bumps on this frog...also his toe pads seemed wide. I would say it was less than about a half inch long so I presume it was a juvenile.
It's not a Green Treefrog, they are shaped differently and would have a whitish stripe along the side.
I'm wondering if it isn't a Cuban Treefrog but I'm not sure.
Spotted on Sep 12, 2012
Submitted on Sep 12, 2012
