One juvenile having a snout-vent length of 16.4 mm. was found at night
beside a pond in the forest. The scarcity of the species of
_Leptodactylus_ in the southern part of El Petén probably is due to the
lack of permanent marshy ponds.
=Leptodactylus melanonotus= (Hallowell)
Sayaxché, 1.
One individual was found beneath a rock beside a stream in the forest.
The local name is _ranita_, meaning little frog.
=Syrrhophus leprus= Cope
Chinajá, 2; 15 km NW of Chinajá, 1.
An adult female having a snout-vent length of 27.5 mm. was found on the
forest floor by day. Two juveniles having snout-vent lengths of 15.5 and
19.0 mm. were beneath rocks on the forest floor. The specimens are
typical of the species as defined by Duellman (1958:8).
=Hyla ebraccata= Cope
Toocog, 66.
This small tree frog congregated in large numbers at a forest pond at
Toocog. Between June 30 and July 2 we collected specimens and observed
the breeding habits of this and other species at the pond. Calling males
were distributed around the pond, where they called from low herbaceous
vegetation at the edge of the pond or from plants rising above the
water. Calling commenced at dusk and continued at least into the early
hours of the morning. On one occasion a female was observed at a
distance of about 50 centimeters away from a calling male sitting on a
blade of grass. The female climbed another blade of grass until she was
about eight centimeters away from the male, at which time he saw her,
stopped calling, jumped to the blade of grass on which she was sitting
and clasped her. Clasping pairs were observed on blades of grass and
leaves of plants above the water; most pairs were less than 50
centimeters above the surface of the pond.
The eggs are deposited on the dorsal surfaces of leaves above the water.
All eggs are in one plane (a single layer) on the leaf. External
membranes are barely visible, as the eggs consist of a single coherent
mass. Eggs in the yolk plug stage have diameters of 1.2 to 1.4 mm.
Seventeen eggs masses were found; these contained from 24 to 76 (average
44) eggs. The jelly is extremely viscous and tacky to the touch. At time
of hatching the jelly becomes less viscous; the tadpoles wriggle until
they reach the edge of the leaf and drop into the water.
Eleven tadpoles were preserved as they hatched; these have total lengths
of 4.5 to 5.0 (average 4.77) mm. Hatchling tadpoles are active swimmers
and have only a small amount of yolk. The largest tadpoles preserved
have total lengths of 13.0 and 13.5 mm. At this size distinctive
sword-tail and bright coloration have developed.
[Illustration: FIG. 2. Tadpole of _Hyla ebraccata_ (KU 59986) from
Toocog, El Petén, Guatemala. × 6.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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