''Agalychnis saltator'', also known as the parachuting red-eyed leaf frog and misfit leaf frog, 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 the Caribbean lowlands from north-eastern Honduras to eastern-central Costa Rica at elevations of

asl American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

Description

Male ''Agalychnis saltator'' measure and females in

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 ...

. They have distinctive red eyes with vertical pupils. The dorsum is light or dark leaf green with bluish purple flanks. They have large suction disks and extensive webbing between the fingers and toes.

Habitat and behaviour

''Agalychnis saltator'' are

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 ...

and

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...

. They inhabit lowland and montane humid and wet forests, and to a lesser extent, adjacent premontane wet forests and rainforests. They live in tree canopies, but descend to temporary pools to reproduce. Male frog can leap from considerable heights to plants on the mating sites, extending its limbs and spreading out the skin between its fingers and toes, hence the name "parachuting frog".

Reproduction

''Agalychnis saltator'' are explosive breeders that breed after heavy rains. A single breeding aggregation may contain 25–400 frogs (typically 100–200), hanging on vines that overhang temporary ponds in forested areas, and on marsh vegetation (e.g. ''

Spathiphyllum ''Spathiphyllum'' is a genus of about 47 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia. Certain species of ''Spathiphyllum'' are commonly known as spath or pea ...

''). Most individuals in the aggregation are couples in

amplexus Amplexus (Latin "embrace") is a type of mating behavior exhibited by some externally fertilizing species (chiefly amphibians and horseshoe crabs) in which a male grasps a female with his front legs as part of the mating process, and at the same ...

, with one female frog being accompanied by one to four males. The eggs are laid amidst mosses covering the vines, but are very vulnerable to predation at this stage. ''Agalychnis saltator'' males have also been observed in

with ''

Agalychnis callidryas ''Agalychnis callidryas'', commonly known as the red-eyed tree frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. It is native to forests from Central America to north-western South America. This species is known for its bright colorat ...

'' females. The eggs from such matings are infertile.

Conservation

''Agalychnis saltator'' has a naturally fragmented distribution. It is not particularly common, but it is regularly seen on breeding sites. It is locally suffering from further fragmentation of its habitat because of deforestation from agricultural development and logging. However, it is not threatened on the whole. ''Agalychnis saltator'' is collected for illegal pet trade. It is listed in

CITES Appendix II CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2197792

saltator ''Saltator'' is a genus of passerine birds in the tanager family Thraupidae that are found in Central and South America. They have thick bills, relatively long tails and strong legs and feet. Before the introduction of molecular genetic methods in ...

Amphibians of Costa Rica Amphibians of Honduras Amphibians of Nicaragua Amphibians described in 1955 Taxa named by Edward Harrison Taylor Taxonomy articles created by Polbot