Middle American Frogs of the Hyla microcephala GroupDuellman, William Edward
Science
Middle American Frogs of the Hyla microcephala Group
Duellman, William Edward
Frogs -- Central America; Hyla microcephala
_Hyla robertmertensi_ Taylor, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 50:43,
April 21, 1937 [Holotype.--CNHM 100096 (formerly EHT-HMS 2270)
from Tapachula, Chiapas, México; H. M. Smith and E. H. Taylor
collectors]. Smith and Taylor, Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., 194:84,
June 17, 1948; Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 33:326, March 20, 1950.
Mertens. Senckenbergiana, 33:170, June 15, 1952;
Senckenbergischen Naturf. Gesell., 487:30, December 1, 1952.
Stuart, Contr. Lab. Vert. Biol., Univ. Michigan, 68:47,
November, 1954. Duellman, Univ. Kansas Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist.,
13:63, August 16, 1960. Duellman and Hoyt, Copeia, 1961 (2): 417,
December 19, 1961. Porter, Herpetologica, 18:168, October 17,
1962. Stuart, Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool., Univ. Michigan, 122:36,
April 2, 1963. Duellman and Trueb, Univ. Kansas Publ., Mus. Nat.
Hist., 17:348, July 14, 1966.
_Diagnosis._--Brown lateral stripe wide, including loreal region and
entire tympanum, extending to groin, bordered above by narrow white
line; dorsum unicolor or with pair of dark lines (or rows of dashes)
usually extending only to the sacral region; shanks having dark flecks,
no transverse bars; interorbital bar lacking.
_Description and Variation._--Males attain a maximum snout-vent length
of 26.4 mm. in Oaxaca, whereas in a sample from Acacoyagua, Chiapas,
the largest male has a snout-vent length of 25.7 mm., and from La
Trinidad, Guatemala, 24-6 mm. Specimens from the western part of the
range (eastern Oaxaca) have slightly smaller heads and proportionately
larger tympani than the more eastern populations (Table 1).
The color pattern shows little variation, except in the nature of the
dorsal markings. In a few specimens from throughout the range, but
especially in the eastern part of the range, the dorsum lacks markings
between the dorsolateral white lines. In most specimens the dorsal
pattern consists of flecks or dashes arranged in two parallel
longitudinal rows, and in some specimens the marks are fused into
parallel lines. Small brown flecks are present on the dorsal surfaces
of the shanks; in some specimens these flecks tend to form a
longitudinal stripe on the shank. An interorbital dark mark is
invariably absent.
When active at night _Hyla robertmertensi_ is pale yellow above with a
white dorsolateral line and pale brown lateral stripe; the dorsal
markings are faint. By day the dorsum is yellowish tan with brown
markings. The dorsolateral stripe is creamy white, and the lateral
stripe is dark brown (Pl. 14). The venter is white, and the iris is
dull bronze. In breeding males the vocal sac is yellow.
_Remarks._--Although this species superficially resembles _Hyla
microcephala microcephala_, the latter is easily distinguished by the
narrow brown lateral stripe, as compared with the much wider stripe
in _H. robertmertensi_. No other hylids in northern Central America
and southern México can be confused with this species.
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