HYLIDAE, Rafinesque, 1815

Krysko, Kenneth L., Burgess, Joseph P., Rochford, Michael R., Gillette, Christopher R., Cueva, Daniel, Enge, Kevin M., Somma, Louis A., Stabile, Jennifer L., Smith, Dustin C., Wasilewski, Joseph A., Kieckhefer Iii, Guy N., Granatosky, Michael C. & Nielsen, Stuart V., 2011, 3028, Zootaxa 3028, pp. 1-64 : 23-24

HYLIDAE

The Great Green Treefrog, Litoria caerulea ( White 1790) , is indigenous to eastern and northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea, and it has been introduced to New Zealand ( Tyler 1999; Cogger 2000; Kraus 2009). Litoria caerulea reportedly has been found in Florida along canals in Lee, Collier, Sarasota, Broward, and Miami- Dade counties ( Bartlett 1994; Butterfield et al. 1997; Powell et al. 1998; Bartlett & Bartlett 1999, 2006a; Meshaka et al. 2004); however no specific locality nor known vouchers exist. On 29 May 2003, KLK and KME collected an adult L. caerulea (UF 146573) on a wooden fence at a reptile importer’s facility at 36490 SW 192 nd Avenue, Florida City, Miami-Dade County (25.432283 o N, - 80.50195 o W). This specimen likely escaped (stage 2) from an outdoor screened enclosure that contained dozens of L. caerulea . On 6 December 2006 at 1900 h, MRR collected an adult L. caerulea (photographic voucher UF 152655; MorphoBank M88448 ; Fig. 12) on the underside of a piece of fallen metal gutter about 0.75 m above ground just outside the property of the animal importer's facility at 6450 Stirling Road, Hollywood, Broward County (26.04591 o N, - 80.21976 o W). On 11 September 2007, MRR collected another adult (72.6 mm SVL) L. caerulea (UF 151734) and observed another adult inside a PVC pipe on the ground at this site. On 27 September 2007, SVN collected an adult L. caerulea (photographic voucher UF 152330) on an aluminum fence just outside the property of the animal importer's facility. On 8 March 2010 at 2200 h, DC and Ana M. Martinez collected another adult (71.2 mm SVL) L. caerulea (UF 158810) perched on a nonindigenous pothos plant at this site. Although L. caerulea has now been found multiple times over a period of 6.5 years, there is no current evidence of reproduction (stage 3). This species likely was released or had escaped (stage 2) from enclosures. These represent the first known vouchers for this species in Florida.

The Sierra Chorus Frog, Pseudacris sierra ( Jameson et al. 1966) is a western North American chorus frog that has undergone a recent taxonomic split from the Pseudacris regilla complex of Pacific Chorus Frogs ( Recuero et al. 2006a, 2006b). The indigenous range of P. sierra extends from the Pacific coast of central California, northeast to eastern Oregon, Idaho, and Montana ( Recuero et al. 2006a, 2006b). On 24 August 1983, J. Frankel and M. Thurmond intercepted (stage 1) two P. sierra (UF 116750–51) on bird’s nest fern ( Asplenium nidus ) seedlings at a cargo dock at the Miami International Airport, Miami, Miami-Dade County (25.80648 o N, - 80.289164 o W). The shipment originated from a horticultural business in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California. On 3 November 1986, a gravid female P. sierra was intercepted (stage 1) in a shipment of climbing bird’s nest ferns ( Microsorium punctatum “Grandiceps ”) that reached a plant nursery at 2005 Jaudon Road in Dover, Hillsborough County (27.97246 o N, - 82.24021 o W), and was subsequently transferred to FDACS, Division of Plant Industry (DPI), Gainesville, and then the FLMNH (UF 65748). The origin of the ferns and frog was the same horticultural business above in Santa Rosa, California. On 20 June 2007, Rick Stokes intercepted (stage 1) an adult P. sierra in a shipment of starter ferns (plant species not specified) in a different nursery located at 4630 Reola Road, Dover, Hillsborough County (28.0251 o N, - 82.218919 o W). This specimen was originally transferred to DPI (Entomology number E2007–4456), before being deposited in the FLMNH (UF 152457; MorphoBank M88449 ; Fig. 13). This plant shipment also originated from the same horticultural business in Santa Rosa, California. Members of the P. regilla complex are highly adaptable and not particularly ecosystem limited ( Stebbins 2003; Somma 2008). Although there is no current evidence that this species is established (stage 3), its persistent entry into Florida for nearly 25 years through the same horticultural commerce from California is cause for concern. These are the first known vouchers for this species in Florida.