Beautiful, aberrant Barking Treefrog (Hyla gratiosa) from Lamar County
Last week, I was asked to identify a remarkable frog that a resident of Lamar County found in her garden. (see pictures below) Although this frog is uniquely hyper-melanistic and axanthic (lacking yellow pigment) in places (exposing the blue structural color), it is clearly identifiable as Hyla gratiosa by its size, shape, granular skin and dorsal pattern. Photos by Jennifer Willis of Barnesville, GA September 9th update ... this frog (and photos) were featured in the latest GA DNR bulletin, with a quote from UGA Biologist and Professor Dr. John Maerz ... What frog is that? Jennifer Willis of Barnesville photographed this odd-looking amphibian (left) on a green pepper in her garden Aug. 19. Although it’s a barking treefrog – common across most of the state – Dr. John Maerz of UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources said the uncommon coloring is from a skin mutation. Maerz writes that amphibian s...
