Rana clamitans melanota (Ranifesque)The family Ranidae of typical frogs consists of 45 genera and 586 species and is distributed nearly worldwide.
The genus Rana is represented in the Maritimes by 6 species in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, while 3 occur on Prince Edward Island.
The toes on the front legs are unwebbed.
Breeding males can be told from females by the swollen base of the thumbs on the forelegs. This is related to the tight holding they do during amplexus.
Rarely, a Green Frog is found which is partly blue instead of green. The green frog colour is a combination of structural blue and a yellow pigment; if the yellow is absent, the blue shows brightly. Dark metallic blue animals have been seen in Sherbrooke Lake (Lunenburg County), Garden of Eden (Pictou County), and Minard Brook (Queens County).
Size: body length of 37 newly transformed young ranged from 2.8 to 3.9 cm. Adult males, 91 measured, from 7.0 to 9.8 cm. Adult females, 68 measured, 6.7 to 10.8 cm.
The dorsolateral ridges are distinct and extend almost the entire length of the trunk. Often the ridges are interrupted in one or more places before they end.
Distribution in Canada: Maritimes west to the Ontario-Manitoba border. Has been successfully introduced to scattered localities in Newfoundland and southwestern British Columbia. In the United States, south to North Carolina and west to Minnesota and Oklahoma, but absent from most of Illinois. Has also been introduced into Washington and Utah.
In Nova Scotia, Green Frogs are widespread throughout the mainland and Cape Breton Island.
Earliest spring record for overwintering tadpoles is April 16, in 1975, at Colpton, Lunenburg County. Earliest record for adults is May 1, 1980, at Apple River, Cumberland County.
Spring Peepers have been found in the stomachs of Green Frogs. They also may eat their own tadpoles.
Latest fall record is November 5, in 1982, when 11 frogs were seen on a wet highway at Forties Settlement area in Lunenburg County. Ten were young matured that summer, one was an older adult.