The Rana genus of frogs has the most species in Indiana with eight. Indiana's Rana frogs are the American bullfrog, green frog, crawfish frog, northern leopard frog, pickerel frog, plains leopard frog, southern leopard frog and wood frog. All Rana frogs are true frogs. Physical characteristics of true frogs are moist skin, slim waists and slender legs. Slender legs enhance these frogs jumping ability. The largest Rana frog in Indiana is the American bullfrog. This frog grows up to 8 inches when it is an adult. Crawfish frogs are endangered in Indiana.
Tree frogs (Hyla genus) spend most of their time on tree branches and leaves as opposed to true frogs, which are primarily terrestrial and aquatic amphibians. The only time tree frogs leave trees is when they lay eggs in a nearby body of water. Indiana is home to the green, Cope's gray and eastern gray tree frogs. Skin color is the primary difference between green and gray tree frogs. Green and gray frogs also have different coloration when they are tadpoles. All three frog species live in wetland areas throughout the southern region of Indiana.
Indiana is home to two chorus frogs, the spring peeper and western chorus frog. Herpetologists named chorus frogs after their shrill voices, which are used as mating calls and warnings. The spring peeper's vocalization is similar to a young chicken. Western chorus frogs create a call which sounds like "cree-ee-eek." Both species are terrestrial frogs and are rarely seen due to their small size. These frogs belong to the Psuedacris genus of frogs. The western chorus frog features brown stripes on its body, while the spring peeper has a light brown or orangish coloration.
The only cricket frog (Acris genus) in Indiana is the northern cricket frog. As its name suggests, the northern cricket frog makes a similar noise as crickets. These cricket frogs live in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Cricket frogs spend most of their time in water, though many cricket frogs prefer hibernating on dry land instead of aquatic environments, according to a study by Miami University of Ohio. Northern cricket frogs grow more than 1.5 inches when adults and have green or gray skin.