Identify this East Texas Tadpole please

[John]

I decided to check out a site in north east Texas today. It was an incredibly humid ~90+ F (33+ degrees C) and I wasn't very hopeful of finding any salamanders. I saw a lot of mosquitoes up close and personal despite using 40% DEET (and I'm allergic to Texan mosquitoes....), my right boot leaked (my brand new >$100 "waterproof" snake boots...), and I sweated enough water to fill a pond.

No salamanders. I saw a small snake, but he wisely high-tailed it away from me. I did see Acris? Pseudacris? frogs. I also saw many rapidly drying temporary pools with hordes of these tadpoles (see the photos below). Can anyone identify them for me please? They look like Bufo to me but I could use an experienced eye. There are Bufo woodhousii and Bufo americanus in the area, I believe. Thank you!

 

[nate]

Hi John,

Sounds like a good time!

The frogs you saw were most likely Acris. As for the tadpoles, you'd need very detailed, macro shots of the mouthparts to distinguish between woodhousei and americanus.

 

[John]

you'd need very detailed, macro shots of the mouthparts to distinguish between woodhousei and americanus.

Thanks Nate. Am I right about Bufo though? I can get such scary macro shots of the mouthparts. Do you have a page where they show the differences?

Also, I found these eggs floating on a small pond (not the puddles). They look sort of disc shaped (the jelly). Are they Acris?

 

[John]

After reading a study of the species found around the pools in the area I saw the tadpoles I now know that they were Bufo woodhousii velatus.