The Systematics of the Frogs of the Hyla Rubra Group in Middle AmericaLeón, Juan R.
Science
The Systematics of the Frogs of the Hyla Rubra Group in Middle America
León, Juan R.
Frogs -- Central America; Hyla rubra
In preservative, head and dorsum yellowish brown; dark brown stripe
from nostril to eye; dark brown spots on snout; a dark brown
interorbital triangle with apex directed backward; dark brown
supratympanic region; dorsal stripes same as in living individuals;
flanks pale yellow with brown spots in some specimens; groin creamy
white; thighs and shanks having or lacking transverse dark brown
blotches; spaces between blotches creamy white or yellow-brown; arms
pale yellowish brown; belly and vocal sac creamy white.
_Variation._--Geographic variation in size and some proportions, such
as the ratio of tibia length to snout-vent length and the ratio of the
diameter of the tympanum to that of the eye, have been observed in
this species. The largest individuals are from the Golfo Dulce region
(samples from Piedras Blancas and Rincón de Osa), Puntarenas Province,
Costa Rica. The smallest individuals are from El Recreo, Zelaya
Province, Nicaragua, and from the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica.
The diameter of the tympanum is proportionately larger (relative to
the size of the eye) in males from Tilarán, Guanacaste Province; the
tympanum is nearly as large in males from Piedras Blancas, Puntarenas
Province, and Puerto Viejo, Heredia Province, Costa Rica. The lowest
ratios occur in individuals from Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panamá, in
specimens from the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica (except Puerto
Viejo), and in those from El Recreo, Zelaya Province, Nicaragua. In
general, the tympanum is proportionately larger in females than in
males; the tympanum is largest in females from the Pacific lowlands
of Costa Rica (Table 5).
Color variation has been observed in individuals from the same
population, as well as in individuals from different localities,
between males and females, and from night to day. In life, most
individuals from the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica are dark tan to
greenish gray above with dark brown longitudinal stripes that are
entire or broken, but some specimens (mostly males) are dusky brown
and lack longitudinal stripes or an interorbital triangle; females
usually have the dark interorbital triangle and the stripes on the
dorsum. Individuals from Turrialba, Cartago Province, Costa Rica, are
pale olive-tan with olive-brown markings. Individuals from Puerto
Viejo, Heredia Province, Costa Rica, are uniformly yellowish brown
with or without dark longitudinal stripes. Specimens from El Recreo,
Zelaya Province, Nicaragua, are like those from Puerto Viejo. Males
from Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panamá, are pale brown with dark brown
longitudinal stripes and an indistinct interorbital triangle. Females
have a distinct interorbital triangle and dark brown blotches on the
thighs and shanks.
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