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 phlebodes_ inhabits regions having rainfall throughout the year.
Although large breeding congregations are most common in the early
parts of the rainy season, males probably call throughout the year. At
Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica the senior author has heard _Hyla phlebodes_
in February, April, June, July, and August. Charles W. Myers noted
calling males of this species in the area around Almirante, Bocas del
Toro Province, Panamá, in September, October, and February. An
exception to the correlation between rainfall and breeding activity
was noted by the junior author in _Hyla phlebodes_ in the Canal Zone,
where he noticed a decrease in activity of that species in October and
November, when the rains are heaviest and most frequent. Furthermore,
independent observations made by both of us indicate that _H.
phlebodes_ does not reach peaks of activity during or immediately
after heavy rains, but instead builds up to peaks of activity two or
three days after a heavy rain. This is in contrast to the other
species, all of which characteristically inhabit drier environments
than does _H. phlebodes_. Peaks of breeding activity in the other
species occur immediately after, or even during, heavy rains.
The calling location of the males generally is on vegetation above,
or at the edge of, the water. _Hyla microcephala_ and _H. phlebodes_
call almost exclusively from grasses and sedges; _phlebodes_ usually
calls from taller and more dense grasses than does _microcephala_.
Except for some minor differences in calling location observed by
the junior author (Fouquette, 1960b) in the Canal Zone, the differences
in density and height of grasses utilized for calling-locations
probably is dependent primarily on the nature of the available
vegetation. Although bushes and broad-leafed herbs are usually present
at the breeding sites, males of these species seldom utilize them for
calling locations. Both _H. robertmertensi_ and _H. sartori_ have been
observed calling from grasses, herbs, bushes, and low trees. Calling
males of _robertmertensi_ have been found two meters above the ground
in small trees.
Daytime retreats in the breeding season sometimes are no more than
shaded clumps of vegetation adjacent to a pond or in clumps of grass
in a pond. Individuals of _H. m. underwoodi_ were found by day under
the outer sheaths of banana plants next to a water-filled ditch. Dry
season refuges are unknown.
Amplexus is axillary in all four species. Egg deposition has been
observed in _H. m. microcephala_, _m. underwoodi_, and _phlebodes_.
In all three the eggs are deposited in small masses that float near
the surface of the water and usually are at least partly attached to
emergent vegetation. Each clutch does not represent the entire egg
complement of the female.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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