Pseudacris Fitzinger 1843

Pseudacris Fitzinger 1843

Pseudacris Fitzinger, 1843. Type species.— Rana nigrita LeConte 1825:282, by monotypy.

Chorophilus Baird, 1854. Type species.— Rana nigrita LeConte, 1825:282, by original designation.

Helocaetes Baird, 1854. Type species.— Hyla triseriata Wied-Neuwied, 1839, by subsequent designation by Schmidt. 1953:73.

Limnaoedus Mittleman and List, 1953:83. Type species.— Hylodes ocularis Holbrook, 1838 (= Hyla ocularis Bosc and Daudin, 1901), by original designation.

Parapseudacris Hardy and Burrows, 1986: 80.— Type species Hyla crucifer Wied-Neuwied, 1838, by original designation. Synonymy with Pseudacris by Hedges, 1986:11.

Definition. Small, primarily terrestrial frogs (SVL up to 48 mm in P. streckeri) (Fig. 3 D); chromosome complement 2n = 24.

Content. Fourteen species: Pseudacris brachyphona (Cope), brimleyi Brandt and Walker, clarkii (Baird), crucifer (Wied-Neuwied), feriarum (Baird), fouquettei Lemmon, Lemmon, Collins, and Cannatella, illinoensis Smith, kalmi Harper, maculata (Agassiz), nigrita (LeConte), ocularis (Holbrook), ornata (Holbrook), streckeri Wright and Wright, and triseriata (Wied-Neuwied).

Distribution. North America east of the Great Basin from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

Etymology. The name is derived from the Greek pseudes meaning false and the Greek akris, referring to the genus Acris.

Remarks. Three distinct clades are evident in the tree (Fig. 4). The largest clade contains nine species and includes the type species of the genus. A clade containing the large species (Pseudacris illinoensis, ornata, and streckeri) was recognized as the subgenus Pycnacris by Fouquette and Dubois (2014:361). Another clade includes Pseudacris crucifer and P. ocularis, the type species of the genera Parapseudacris Hardy and Burrows (1986:80) and Limnaoedus (Mittleman & List 1953:83), respectively.