2021 - Texas "Big Frog Year" Attempt

 Since I wasn't going to be traveling internationally thanks to SARS-CoV2, I decided the best goal for this year was to try and do a "big frog year".   Actually, I have a wager with a friend to see who can get the most bird, butterfly, reptile and amphibian species posted in iNaturalist this year.

So I thought I would make a post here and update it periodically to see how I progress.   I am getting perilously close to getting all the species, but there a few missing I probably won't get.   Some I only have photos of, but most I have recordings of as well.

August 18  - My original goal at the beginning of the year was to get 30 out of the 42 species of Anuran that occur in Texas.   On August 18th, I got my 35th species, the Mexican Spadefoot.  It did require a (long) drive out to west of Eldorado last night.   They are not found much closer to where I live and it rained heavily out there in the last few days.   This seemed like maybe my last chance for the year?

There are 7 species I am still missing.  There are a couple of species I'm not sure I can get (Houston Toad, Pickerel Frog), a couple more species I probably I will get (Fowler's Toad, Burrowing Frog) and then a three I might get if I get lucky (Pig Frog, Greenhouse Frog, Mexican White-lipped Frog).   There is also a new species in Texas, unfortunately, that I don't really have a good lead on yet, the invasive Cuban Treefrog.

Scientific Name	Common Name	First 2021 record
Pseudacris clarkii	Spotted Chorus Frog	23-Jan	Gonzales Co.
Acris blanchardi	Blanchard Cricket Frg.	27-Feb	Gonzales Co.
Hyla cinerea	Green Treefrog	27-Feb	Gonzales Co.
Litho. sphenocephalus	Southern Leopard Frg.	27-Feb	Gonzales Co.
Lithobates catesbeianus	American Bullfrog	5-Mar	Aransas Co.
Pseudacris crucifer	Spring Peeper	7-Mar	Shelby Co.
Pseudacris fouquettei	Cajun Chorus Frog	7-Mar	Shelby Co.
Craugastor augusti	Barking Frog	27-Mar	Edwards Co.
Eleuthero. marnockii	Cliff Chirping Frog	30-Mar	Bandera Co.
Lithobates berlandieri	Rio Grande Leopard	30-Mar	Bandera Co.
Gastrophryne olivacea	W. Narrowmouth Toad	2-Apr	Jackson Co.
Anaxyrus americanus	American Toad	9-Apr	Angelina Co. (photo)
Incilius nebulifer	Coastal Plains Toad	9-Apr	Angelina Co.
Eleuthero. campi	Rio Grande Chirping	9-Apr	Angelina
Hyla chrysoscelis	Cope's Gray Treefrog	9-Apr	Angelina Co.
Hyla versicolor	Gray Treefrog	9-Apr	Angelina Co.
Lithobates clamitans	Green Frog	10-Apr	Angelina Co.
Anaxyrus woodhousii	Woodhouse's Toad	23-Apr	Denton Co. (photo)
Hyla squirella	Squirrel Treefrog	1-May	Victoria Co.
Pseudacris streckeri	Strecker's Chorus Frg.	1-May	Victoria Co.
Gastro. carolinensis	E.Narrowmouth Toad	1-May	Calhoun Co.
Lithobates areolatus	Crawfish Frog	1-May	Victoria Co.
Scaphiopus hurterii	Hurter's Spadefoot	1-May	DeWitt Co.
Anaxyrus punctatus	Red-spotted Toad	2-May	Edwards Co.
Anaxyrus speciosus	Texas Toad	2-May	Kinney Co.
Scaphiopus couchii	Couch's Spadefoot	2-May	Kinney Co.
Anaxyrus debilis	Green Toad	12-May	McMullen Co.
Rhinella horribilis	Giant Toad	16-May	Cameron Co.
Smilisca baudinii	Mexican Treefrog	16-May	Cameron Co.
Hypopachus variolosus	Sheep Frog	16-May	Cameron Co.
Anaxyrus cognatus	Great Plains Toad	4-Jun	Andrews Co.
Lithobates blairi	Plains Leopard Frog	4-Jun	Andrews Co. (photo)
Hyla arenicolor	Canyon Treefrog	2-Aug	Jeff Davis Co.
Spea bombifrons	Plains Spadefoot	9-Aug	Dallam Co. (photo)
Spea multiplicata	N. Mexico Spadefoot	17-Aug	Schleicher Co.
Anaxyrus fowleri	Fowler's Toad		hopeful
Anaxyrus houstonensis	Houston Toad		not likely
E. planirostris	Greenhouse Frog		maybe
Leptodactylus fragilis	White-lipped Frog		hopeful
Lithobates grylio	Pig Frog		missing
Lithobates palustris	Pickerel Frog		not likely
Rhinophrynus dorsalis	Burrowing Frog		hopeful

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© Chris Harrison 2021