NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Dryophytes chrysoscelis (Cope, 1880)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
An adult Hyla chrysoscelis (Cope's gray treefrog) at the University of Mississippi Field Station in May 2016.
Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Cope's gray treefrog (Dryophytes chrysoscelis) is a species of treefrog found in the United States and Canada. It is almost indistinguishable from the gray treefrog (Dryophytes versicolor), and shares much of its geographic range. Both species are variable in color, mottled gray to gray-green, resembling the bark of trees. These are treefrogs of woodland habitats, though they will sometimes travel into more open areas to reach a breeding pond. The only readily noticeable difference between the two species is the mating call — Cope's has a faster-paced and slightly higher-pitched call than D. versicolor. In addition, D. chrysoscelis is reported to be slightly smaller, more arboreal, and more tolerant of dry conditions than D. versicolor.
Wikipedia contributors, Cope's gray treefrog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:01:37.681726+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dryophytes chrysoscelis (Cope, 1880)
- Name authority
- (Cope, 1880)
- Common name
- Cope's Gray Treefrog
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Hylidae
- Genus
- Dryophytes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyHylidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusDryophytes Fitzinger, 1843
- speciesDryophytes chrysoscelis (Cope, 1880)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dryophytes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Barrens TreefrogDryophytes andersonii (Baird, 1854) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dryophytes arboricola (Taylor, 1941) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bird-voiced TreefrogDryophytes avivoca (Viosca, 1928) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Green TreefrogDryophytes cinereus (Schneider, 1799) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dryophytes eximius (Baird, 1854) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pine Woods TreefrogDryophytes femoralis (Daudin, 1800) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Barking TreefrogDryophytes gratiosus (LeConte, 1856) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dryophytes japonicus (Günther, 1859) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray TreefrogDryophytes versicolor (LeConte, 1825) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Arizona TreefrogDryophytes wrightorum (Taylor, 1939) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dryophytes bocourti (Mocquard, 1899) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dryophytes euphorbiaceus (Günther, 1858) | HylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hyla chrysoscelis Cope, 1880 Cope, 1880 | synonym |
| Hyla femoralis chrysoscelis Cope, 1880 Cope, 1880 | synonym |
| Hyla versicolor sandersi Smith & Brown, 1947 Smith & Brown, 1947 | synonym |
| Hyla versicolor chrysoscelis Cope, 1880 Cope, 1880 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1098527 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6DMHJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.