''Sachatamia ilex'' is a species of

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

in the family Centrolenidae. It is found in eastern

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

, Costa Rica,

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

, western Colombia (Pacific lowlands and the Pacific slopes of the Cordillera Occidental), and western

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

. Common name Limon giant glass frog has been coined for this species, apparently in reference to its type locality in the canton of

Limón Limón (), commonly known as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the Limón canton in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is ho ...

, Costa Rica, and it is also known as the ghost glass frog.

Description

Adult males measure and females in snout–vent length. The snout is truncate in lateral view. Both fingers and toes have webbing and there are adhesive discs on the tips of the digits. The dorsal skin is shagreen. The dorsum is uniform dark green in color while the gular region and belly are creamy white. The

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

is white or light gray with black reticulations. This frog is active at night. In the day it crouches on the upper side of a leaf, adjusting its colour to match the background. The males call from the upper surfaces of the leaves near streams and may engage in fights. The eggs are black and are deposited on the upper surface of the leaves, and when they hatch, the larvae fall into the water below.

Habitat and conservation

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 humid lowland and montane primary and secondary forests at elevations between above sea level. It is typically found within the splash zone of waterfalls and torrents, and in bushes and trees alongside forest streams, which is where it breeds. While

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 ...

is a localized threat, it is not considered threatened as a species by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

(IUCN).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28055715 Sachatamia Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Costa Rica Amphibians of Ecuador Amphibians of Nicaragua Amphibians of Panama Taxa named by Jay M. Savage Amphibians described in 1967 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot