*The colored areas of the map above represent parishes with currently known records for the given species (Source: Jeff Boundy, LA Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries). By no means does it represent the full range of the species in the state, nor does it necessarily mean that a species can be found throughout the parish with the record. This is provided as a guide to where you might be able to find these species in the state and to aid in identification. A descriptive explanation of the range of each species can be found in the text below.
Other Common Names:
Subspecies: No subspecies recognized.
Adult Description: A medium-sized, stocky frog (maximum 3.3”) with a coloration that is generally some shade of olive, but sometimes brown, gray, or even neon green. Small warts are scattered on back and sides that are similar as overall color in adults but may be reddish in juveniles. A short, blunt snout and large eyes with vertical pupils. A dark patch below each eye may be pale or absent. Pale to bright yellow lines in an hourglass shape on back usually apparent. Poison glands circular. No cranial crests, but a raised area between and slightly behind eyes. Hindlimbs with black and sickle-shaped spades that are used for digging. Belly is yellowish white with large circular pectoral glands at arms.
Similar Species:
Species Range: Western Arkansas south to northwestern Louisiana, west to eastern and southern Texas, and north to eastern Oklahoma.
Louisiana Range: Central Louisiana northward but absent from Mississippi River floodplain.
Adult Habitat: Open pine woodlands and mixed pine-hardwood forests with well-drained sandy soils, including riparian areas along sandy streams and rivers.
Natural History: Hurter’s Spadefoots are nocturnal. They eat various invertebrate prey that passes near their burrow where they forage. No predators reported, but likely include other frogs, snakes, birds, and mammals. They are explosive breeders that may breed any time after heavy rains so long as temperatures are mild to warm (>60° F). They typically use rain-filled ephemeral water bodies to breed. Females lay 1,900–4,900 eggs in easily broken strands attached to vegetation or woody debris. Eggs hatch in 1–2 days and tadpoles metamorphose in 12–46 days. Maturity is unknown but likely 2–5 years, like Eastern Spadefoots. Wild longevity is unknown, but spadefoots are relatively long-lived and may exceed 9 years, like Eastern Spadefoots.
Call: A low-pitched, mournful, and down-slurred nasal ‘errrrrah’ that lasts less than 1 second and is repeated every 3–10 seconds.
Best Time and Place to Observe: Get out just after heavy warm rains during their explosive breeding events to find many individuals of this seldom-seen frog together in breeding aggregations. In non-breeding situations they can still be found with a keen eye and careful searching on warm, humid nights, as they peek out of or sit near their burrows looking for a meal.
Global Conservation Status: Hurter’s Spadefoots have a relatively wide distribution in the south-central United States and a presumed large population, and thus, are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Their NatureServe Global Conservation Status Rank is G5 (Secure).
Federal Conservation Status: None.
Louisiana Conservation Status: Hurter's Spadefoots have a ranking of S2 (imperiled because of rarity – 6-20 known extant populations) in Louisiana.
*** If you live in the range of this species in Louisiana and believe you may have observed this species please let me know (take a picture or audio recording if possible), as there may be more unknown populations in the state.***
Author's Remarks: I have only found this species in Louisiana on four occasions, once in 2004 and again in 2012 in the same place in Kisatchie National Forest in Natchitoches Parish. I found another individual in 2016 in Bienville Parish, and we found a few individuals at Briarwood in spring of 2023.
