The gliding tree frog (''Agalychnis spurrelli'') is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the subfamily

Phyllomedusinae Phyllomedusinae is a subfamily of hylid tree frogs found in the Neotropics commonly called leaf frogs. Formerly, they were often considered as their own family, Phyllomedusidae. The subfamily is considered to be the sister group to the Austr ...

. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama. Other common names are the gliding leaf frog, Spurrell's leaf frog, and pink-sided tree frog. The specific name, ''spurrelli'', is in honour of British zoologist

Herbert George Flaxman Spurrell Herbert George Flaxman Spurrell Master of Arts, M.A. Bachelor of Medicine, M.B. Bachelor of Surgery, B.Ch. Zoological Society of London, F.Z.S. (20 June 1877 – 8 November 1918) was a British people, British biologist, physician and author whose ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Description

The gliding tree frog grows to a snout to vent length of for males and for females. The head is broad and the eyes are large, with reticulated lower eyelids. The body is slim with smooth skin on the dorsal surface and limbs and granular skin on the belly. The limbs are slim and the fingers and toes have adhesive discs. The fingers are about three-quarter webbed and the toes fully webbed. The colour of the dorsal surface of this frog changes at nightfall from pale green to dark green. The underparts are cream and orange.

Distribution

The gliding tree frog is native to the humid forests of south-eastern and south-western Costa Rica, Panama, the Pacific lowlands of Colombia, and north-western Ecuador.

Biology

The gliding tree frog is a nocturnal species that lives in the tree canopy. It moves about by climbing using a hand-over-hand form of locomotion. It also glides while leaping which it does by spreading out its hands and feet when the extensive webbing acts as a parachute. It can maintain an angle of descent of up to 45° for some distance. Explosive breeding takes place in the rainy season. The eggs are laid in small clusters on the upperside of leaves overhanging temporary pools and water-filled cavities in logs. The eggs hatch in about six days and the tadpoles fall into the water below.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q692952 Agalychnis Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Costa Rica Amphibians of Ecuador Amphibians of Panama Amphibians described in 1913 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot