===============+=======================+=================+============= Species or | Geographic population | Authority |Size range of subspecies | sampled | |adults in mm. ---------------+-----------------------+-----------------+------------- | | | _olivacea_ |Douglas Co., Kansas |present study | 31 to 42 | | | _olivacea_ |entire range |Wright and Wright| 19 to 38 | | (1949) | | | | _carolinensis_ |entire range |Wright and Wright| 20 to 36 | | (1949) | | | | _carolinensis_ |southern Louisiana |Anderson | 22 to 35 | | (1954) | | | | _areolata_ |southeastern Texas |Wright and Wright| 23 to 29 | | (1949) | | | | _mazatlanensis_|Arizona and New Mexico |Wright and Wright| 22 to 30 | | (1949) | | | | _mazatlanensis_|Santa Cruz Co., Arizona|Stebbins | 25.2 to 31.5 | | (1951) | ---------------+-----------------------+-----------------+------------- COLOR AND PATTERN The color pattern changes in the course of development, and the shade of color changes in response to environmental conditions. At the time of metamorphosis, young are dark brown with specks of black and with a dark, cuneate, leaflike middorsal mark. The narrow end of this mark arises just behind the head, and the mark extends posteriorly as far as the hind leg insertions. At its widest, the mark covers about half the width of the dorsal surface. The lateral edges of the mark are sharply defined, but at its anterior and posterior ends it blends into the ground color. In most individuals smaller than 20 mm., this dorsal mark is well defined and conspicuous. As growth proceeds, however, it becomes faint. In frogs 19 to 25 mm. long the marks have disappeared. In individuals of this size the brown ground color is markedly paler than in those newly metamorphosed, but is darker than in adults. In large adults the dorsal coloration is a uniform pale tan, paler on the average in females than in males. Temperature and moisture both affect the shade of coloration. In frogs that were partly desiccated, the color was unusually pale, with a distinctly greenish tint, and at high temperatures coloration tended to be relatively pale.