A Review of the Middle American Tree Frogs of the Genus PtychohylaDuellman, William Edward
Science
A Review of the Middle American Tree Frogs of the Genus Ptychohyla
Duellman, William Edward
Amphibians -- Central America; Amphibians -- Mexico; Ptychohyla
_Description of tadpole._--The following description is based on KU
68556 from 7.5 kilometers south of Yetla, Oaxaca, Mexico (Figs. 4C and
6C). No limb buds; total length, 37.3 mm.; body length, 12.2 mm.; body
length/total length, 32.7 per cent; body slightly depressed, barely
wider than deep, ovoid in dorsal profile; mouth directed ventrally;
eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils barely protuberant and
directed anterolaterally, about midway between snout and eye; spiracle
sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. Caudal fin
low, bluntly rounded posteriorly; greatest depth of caudal musculature
about one-half depth of caudal fin; musculature extends nearly to tip
of tail.
Mouth large; lips having deep lateral folds; two complete rows of
papillae on lips; five to seven rows of papillae laterally; beaks
moderately developed, bearing short peglike serrations; moderately
wide lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows 4/6; upper rows
subequal in length; fourth row interrupted medially; length of lower
rows 1-4 equal to upper rows; fifth and sixth lower rows shorter;
first lower row interrupted medially.
Body brown above; tip of snout brown; venter creamy gray; caudal
musculature creamy tan; caudal fin transparent; cream-colored
crescent-shaped mark on posterior edge of body; dark brown flecks on
caudal musculature and all except anterior two-thirds of ventral
caudal fin; large brown square blotches on dorsum of caudal fin; eye
reddish brown in life.
_Variation._--The variation in size and proportions is given in Table
2. With the exception of one specimen having a short, broken, seventh
tooth-row, all specimens have 4/6 tooth-rows that are like those
described above. In some specimens the brown blotches on the dorsum of
the caudal musculature are fused and marked with cream-colored flecks.
_Comparisons._--_Ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ differs from all other
members of the _Ptychohyla euthysanota_ group in having a square
snout, and further differs from _P. spinipollex_ in more numerous and
smaller nuptial spines and in transverse, instead of posteromedially
slanting, vomerine processes between the inner nares. _Ptychohyla
leonhardschultzei_ differs from _P. euthysanota_ in having a rostral
keel and in having white flanks boldly spotted with black.
All small hylids that are sympatric with _Ptychohyla
leonhardschultzei_ are either yellow (_Hyla dendroscarta_ and _H.
melanomma_) or green (_Hyla erythromma_, which has a red eye, _Hyla
hazelae_, which has a black line on the canthus, and _Ptychohyla
ignicolor_, which has red flash colors on the thighs).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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