Prefers sunny ponds of shallow water with good growth of vegetation in the water or on shore; slow-moving streams with sunny banks. They are primarily diurnal. These frogs are often abundant but are difficult to catch as they hop among the grass and moss at the water's edge.
Their primary diet is small insects, including mosquitoes.
Predators and Defense:
They in turn are predated upon by a number of species, including birds, fish, and other frogs. To escape predators, they are capable of leaping more than three feet in a single jump and are excellent swimmers.
Growth and Longevity:
The Northern Cricket Frogs rangs from 0.75 to 1.5 inches (19-38 mm) long.
Largest specimen: KU 215686, Douglas County, Kevin R. Toal, 24 May 1990, 33 mm (1 5/16 inches), Collins (1993).
McCallum and Trauth (2006) stated that based on patterns of morphological variation, "Acris crepitans blanchardi" does not appear to be a valid taxon. However, the most recent comprehensive analysis was provided by Gamble et al. 2008, in which they elevated blanchardi to specific status.
Pleistocene fossils are known from Rice, Ellsworth, and Meade counties.
Despite repeated attempts to do so, this taxon has not been rediscovered in the Northwest, Southwest, or the along the Western border of the state where previous records exist.
This species inhabits the edges of sunny marshes, marshy ponds, and small slow-moving streams in open country. It may periodically range into adjacent nonwetland habitats in some regions. Eggs and larvae develop in the shallow water of ponds, marshes, ditches, slow streams, springs, or rain pools.
2006. Altig, Ronald, Roy W. McDiarmid, Kimberly A. Nichols, and Paul C. Ustach. Tadpoles of the United States and Canada: A Tutorial and Key. Electronic files accessible at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/tadpole/. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA.. : pp. .
2008. Gamble, Tony, Peter B. Berendzen, H. Bradley Shaffer, David E. Starkey, and Andrew Simons. Species limites and phylogeography of North American cricket frogs (Acris: Hylidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 48: pp. 112-125.
2010. Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas. Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. Pp. 400.