Taxom: The genus Dryophytes was first described by Fitzinger in 1843. Later it was placed into the genus Hyla, the true tree frogs, by Boulenger in 1882. Fouquette and Dubois 2014, treated Dryophytes as a subgenus of Hyla. Dryophytes was finally resurrected as an independent genus by Duellman in 2016. Only geographical, rather than morphological, differences separates Dryophytes from the genus Hyla. Hyla is found only in the Old World, whereas Dryophytes is distributed in the New World. Most members occur in North America

Description: Dryophytes gratiosus (formerly Hyla gratiosa) is the largest native tree frog in the United States, acquiring its name from the raucous and explosive call. It is 2.0 to 2.8 inches in head-body length. It is variable in color, but easily recognizable due to the characteristic dark, round markings on its dorsum. Individuals may be bright or dull green, brown, yellowish, or gray in color with small, grey and green-yellow spots. It has prominent, round toe pads, and the male has a large vocal sac. Dryophytes gratiosus has skin that is unlike any other species of American frog. Its skin is neither rough and warty not smooth, having skin that is thick and leathery. Its skin can also shift colors depending on lighting, time of day, temperature, or its surroundings. Changes in color can be rapid and the spots can seem to disappear and reappear over time. The eyes of Dryophytes gratiosus are brown, gold, and black.

Habitat: Adult Dryophytes gratiosus usually live in trees or bushes. They can also burrow deep into mud and logs for added protection from predators.

Range: It is found from Delaware to southern Florida and eastern Louisiana, usually in coastal areas. There are also some isolated colonies in Maryland, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Found in these States: AL | CA | CO | DE | FL | GA | KY | LA | MD | MS | NC | SC | TN | VA

Diet: Small insects like crickets, fruit flies, wax worms, insect larvae and the likes form the bulk of the Barking Tree Frog's diet. They like their food live.

Reproduction: Dryophytes gratiosus is a polygynous species, the female choosing the male on the basis of his call. One study researched that for the males to win over a female, the males will arrive at the breeding ponds earlier in the night. The study goes on to present forth the evidence that the males who arrive earlier have a higher probability of mating than the males that arrived late. Females however will generally use call amplitude and frequency to select a mate, as these characteristics correlate to body size. Females will choose the right mate with greater amplitude. These females will use triangulation. Triangulation is used to find a male's location by his call, finding others around the male, and to assess the distance between them. It reproduces aquatically. Adults migrate to land to lay their eggs, usually alone.

Breeding typically occurs over two or three months, the months differing depending on the location. In Kentucky, Dryophytes gratiosus usually breads between mid June to late July, April to July in North Carolina and Alabama, and March to August in Louisiana and Florida. Most male Dryophytes gratiosa have been reported calling in an inflated condition at the surface of shallow water, usually among aquatic vegetation. After mating, both sexes move inland to higher grasses. Females lay anywhere from 1,500 and 4,000 eggs at a time. When these eggs hatch, grow into tadpoles, or the tailed larva of an amphibian. Tadpoles can be nearly 2.0 inches in length.

Status: According to the ICUN Red List, Dryophytes gratiosus is of the status of Least Concern as of March 2019.

Subspecies: None

Taxonomy: