#Acris crepitans

[funkyfrogoftheday]

today's funky frog of the day: the northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans)!!!!!! these charming amphibians have two subspecies. they live in the united states and mexico, and are diurnal, which means they're active during the day! the green on this fellow is so striking!

photo © Judy Gallagher

[herpsandbirds]

Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans), family Hylidae, found in the eastern 2/3 of the United States and NE Mexico

These small frogs only reach a maximum length of 3.8 cm (1.5 in).

photograph by Anthony Brais

[markscherz]

This might be a weird question but I can't think of a better person to ask! My nibling recently came out as non-binary and wants to change their name, but they're struggling to find something they are happy with.

They were given a feminine name at birth and are currently using a masculine name, but aren't happy with either of them. Every human name that's suggested to them is either too masc, too femme, or has poor associations. However, they love frogs, so I wondered if that might be a solution.

I've tried to find frog names that might work as a human name, but so far I'm not having much luck. It's not allowed to start with R or J, and apparently it's not allowed to have an X in it because nibling thinks they're "not cool enough" to carry that off (I've tried explaining that they're wrong, but 16 year olds are very sensitive).

If this isn't too weird a question, can you think of any frog or toad names that might be manageable as human names? We live in the UK for reference

So many thanks for even reading this giant info dump 💕

Wow this is only the second time I have gotten to help find a name for a human. What an honour.

Okay firstly, sounds 100% like your nibling is cool enough to use an X (despite my current negative emotions associated with the letter due to the Elongated Muskrat), and there are some *amazing* names out there with X's in, so they should at least consider them. Scinax and Ixalus for instance are great. Ixalus has a fun history: originally it was coined as a replacement name for Orchestes, which wasn't available because there was already a beetle genus called Orchestes. But then it turned out that Ixalus was *also* not available, because the world's most beautiful antelope, the bongo, was already called Ixalus. Only, the bongo had already been called Tragelaphus. So now Ixalus isn't the name used for *any* animal. Ixalus is Greek, meaning 'bounding, springing, spry'. Also there are numerous other frog genera that use the ending -ixalus, such as Heterixalus, Micrixalus, etc.

But, taking the lack of X seriously, here are some other alternatives. I will avoid names that are derived from other people's names, and focus on names that have a neutral ring to my ear, and are also euphonious (nice to say or hear) and fewer than four syllables. I am also only considering genus names, because there are too many species names to choose from:

Acris — meaning sharp, sour, bitter, pungent, sharp, keen, acute, energetic, eager, etc. Technically this is the feminine version of the adjective; the neuter version is Acre, but I do not think anyone would read 'Acris' and immediately think either gender. It is supposed to be pronounced with a long a, as in 'hard', but a lot of people pronounce it with a hard a as in 'ace'. This name is most familiar to Americans, because Acris are cricket frogs, widespread in the US.

[Acris crepitans, src]

Mantis — of course, the genus Mantis was coined by Linnaeus in 1758, and so it is unambiguous that this is not a frog name. However, it is very often used as part of frog taxonomic names, such as Chiromantis, Boehmantis, Guibemantis, Gephyromantis, Phlyctimantis etc. Mantis is Greek (μάντης), and means oracle, prophet, soothsayer, seer, clairvoyant, or fortune teller. The name has the feminine gender in its language of origin, but that has no bearing on its use, which, barring the character in the Marvel movies, does not seem particularly gendered to me.

[Pristimantis cruentus, src]

Dasypops — simply a delightful name, but probably not neutral enough. I have not been able to figure out what the etymology is; it might be a play on Dasypus, the Greek word meaning 'rough-footed', which is a genus of armadillos. The frog is also spectacular, but there are no photos I can legally share on tumblr.

Kaloula — a euphonic name with an unclear meaning. Very round frogs. I love them.

[Kaloula pulchra, src]

Adelotus — means 'unseen'. These are 'tusked frogs'. Males have crazy extensions of lower jaw bones, and they fight with them.

[Adelotus brevis, src]

Taruga — a Sanskrit name meaning 'tree climber'. I fucking love this name, and the frogs are just *chef's kiss* POINTY, and have really committed to bold colours.

[Taruga eques, src]

EDIT: I have been informed that taruga means ‘blockhead’ or ‘numb skull’ in Spanish, so it might not be the best choice. Sorry!

If the nibling would like to check out a list of genera themselves, there is a tolerably complete list here.

I hope this helps!

[fenthebonebreaker]

#0052 Eastern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans crepitans)

Part 3 of my Frogs & Toads of Virginia series.

[worldsandemanations]

Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans), photograph by Anthony Brais

[frogs-from-bogs]

Acris crepitans by Judy Gallagher

[papilionigae]

[ID: Seven images of various different cricket frogs. The first one is all brown and is sitting partially submerged in water. The second is another solid brown one that is sitting on the side of my hand. The next shows one that has a few green spots on it sitting on some grass that is partially submerged in water. The next frog is in this grassy area as well, but this frog is solid grey-ish brown. The next is another one with green speckles that is also sitting in shallow water. The final two pictures are of the same frog sat on a small stick. This one has a reddish-orange stripe down its back. In the first one, the stick is held out of the water and in the second it's sitting in shallow water. /End ID]

Lots of little guys!! I absolutely adore cricket frogs, it's just so much fun to see all the variance in these dudes. Not to mention that they're just cute

[stranger-nature]

Just a cute little Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans)

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans) by jonnx12 Via Flickr: 8/5/14 - Dorchester County, Md

[wetlandwanderer]

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi)

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog, and cricket frogs in general are among my favorite species due to their interesting call. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans), but has since been designated as a separate species.

There are currently 3 distinct species of cricket frog in the US. All of which are found east of the Rockies. All three look and sound extremely similar which means location is a significant factor in identifying this particular frog.

Physically cricket frogs can be many colors, brown, green, grey, or any mix of the above, their distinguishing traits include their somewhat warty appearance and the triangle marking between their eyes that points down their back. They may also have a messy streak of color down their back often either green or brown.

All cricket frogs have a distinctive call that sounds like two metal ball bearings or marbles hitting against each other. It will often start out slow before building up as other frogs join. The call of the Southern Cricket Frog (Acris gryllus) is slightly different in that it has a harsher and slightly slowed down tone more similar to when you shake a can of spray paint. However, this can vary by individual which is why location matters so much with these frogs.

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog is found the farthest west of any of the species and are found through much of the Great Plains and Ozark regions. They reach as far north as Wisconsin and then go east to Michigan and Ohio. They are not found in the Southeast as their range only reaches as south as Tennessee.

The Northern Cricket Frog’s range starts at the edge of the Blanchard’s extending across the east coast from Louisiana to just south of New York. They are not found in Florida, however. The Southern Cricket Frog on the other hand is found in Florida and has the smallest range of the cricket frogs being found along the east coast from Mississippi to southern Virginia.

[shawsnires]

Expert camoflage featuring the northern cricket frog(Acris crepitans). Photographed near Columbia, Missouri.

[speakingofnature]

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog

This Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi) was found a few miles from my Iowa home. The frog is considered endangered in Wisconsin and Minnesota while threatened in Michigan. Water contamination and resource competition are considered to be in part responsible for their decline, however the main reason is still undetermined.

[lychens]

NORTHERN CRICKET (Acris crepitans)

[depressiongoblin]

Northern Cricket Frog, Acris crepitans #frogs #frogspotting #nature #naturephotography #camouflage https://www.instagram.com/p/CTvFHQwrmC4/?utm_medium=tumblr

[bufomancer]

What do you call a tree frog who isn’t arboreal? Must be the northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans) of course! This image by John P Clare was taken in Oklahoma in a swamp forest.

[jaypaulphoto]

The Eastern or Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans) is a small frog only reaching a size of 1 to 1½ inches. The male mating call resembles the sound of two stones being hit together. A single call usually lasts through 20-30 beats. This species is an opportunistic predator consuming primarily small arthropods, according to virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com. @jaypaulphoto #richmondmag #RHome #frogs #ponds #gardens #virginiawildlife #backyardwildlife (at Richmond, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsKKxHFJHMGS5QQx9t-U62GXnRuzeRldf4Q6E0/?igshid=1q52qxaaz4ihd