Family: Microhylidae, Narrow-mouthed Frogs view all from this family

Description 7/8-1 1/2" (2.2-3.8 cm). Small, plump, and smooth-skinned, with egg-shaped body, pointed snout, and fold of skin across back of head. Reddish-brown to dark gray, often with light stripes along sides. Belly heavily mottled. Single spade on each hind foot. Male has dark throat.

Voice   Like the weak bleat of a sheep.

Breeding April to October; initiated by rains, especially in the deep South. Males call while sitting on vegetation floating in the water, usually concealed in grass. Eggs float on surface as a thin sheet.

Habitat Near water, especially along the edge of ponds or ditches and under moist debris and decaying vegetative matter.

Range From s. Missouri east through s. Kentucky and Tennessee, and from s. Maryland south through the Florida Keys, and west to e. Texas and Oklahoma. Isolated populations reported from areas near western and northern borders.

Discussion Nocturnal. It eats a variety of insects but prefers ants. A prodigious burrower, it can disappear into leaf litter or loose soil in a minute or two.