''Dendropsophus phlebodes'', the San Carlos treefrog or San Carlos dwarf treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is found in western

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, Nicaragua and Panama. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests, but it may also occur in disturbed habitats. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Description

The San Carlos treefrog is a small, sturdy species with the female growing to a

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

of while the males are slightly smaller. This frog has a blunt snout and a wide head and the tympanum is partially concealed by a fold of skin. There is a single vocal sac in the throat and a pair of vocal slits. The fore-legs are short and the long, slender fingers have large flattened pads at the tips. The hind legs are short but powerful and the long toes are partially webbed and have expanded tips. The skin on the dorsal surface is smooth and has a pale brown colour with slight darker patterning. The ventral surface is granular and white, blending to cream and yellow on the inside of the thighs. The iris is yellowish-bronze and during the breeding season, the male's vocal sac is yellow. The confused ''D. phlebodes'' is sometimes confused with other frogs within its same genus. The ''D. ebraccatus'' can be distinguished by the hourglass pattern on its back. Additionally, ''D. phlebodes'' have shorter primary calling notes.

Distribution and habitat

The San Carlos treefrog is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, lowland species found on Pacific northwestern Colombia ( Chocó and Risaralda Departments) and Panama, as well as on the Atlantic slopes of Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitat is humid forest where it breeds in shallow pools. It does not generally occur at greater elevations than above sea level. It is also often found in cultivated land, swampy meadows, and drainage ditches.

Biology

The San Carlos treefrog is a generalist predator feeding on small terrestrial invertebrates such as spiders, moth larvae and

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

larvae. It is an "explosive breeder", the main reproductive period starting with the arrival of the rainy season. The males are stimulated by heavy rain to congregate, calling from low vegetation beside temporary pools or flooded fields. Many males may synchronise their calls and in Panama, this species is often joined by ''

Dendropsophus microcephalus ''Dendropsophus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Hylidae. They are distributed in Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay. They are sometimes known under the common name Fitzinger neotropical treefrogs ...

'' and '' Dendropsophus ebraccatus'' in a joint chorus. The eggs are laid in clusters of about four hundred eggs and deposited among plants growing in shallow water.

Status

The San Carlos treefrog is listed as being of " least concern" in the

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

. It is considered to have a stable population, is common over a wide range and is relatively adaptable. Its greatest threat may be pollution of the waters in which it breeds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q651092 phlebodes Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Costa Rica Amphibians of Nicaragua Amphibians of Panama Amphibians described in 1906 Taxa named by Leonhard Stejneger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot