Centrolene prosoblepon
TAXONOMY
Hyla prosoblepon Boettger, 1892, Plantage Cairo (La Junta) near Limon, Costa Rica.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Males are 0.9–1.1 in (21.7–28.1 mm), and females are 1.0–1.1 in (25.4–27.8 mm) in snout-vent length. The dorsum is green with or without black dots. The tips of the digits are pale yellow, and the chest is white. The skin is shagreen on the dorsum, and the belly and thighs are granular. Males possess a pointed humeral spine. The bones are green.
DISTRIBUTION
This species occurs in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Pacific slopes of Colombia and Ecuador at elevations of 328–4,921 ft (100–1,500 m).
HABITAT
The Nicaragua glass frog inhabits vegetation associated with cascading streams. Tadpoles occupy the bottom of silt-bottomed pools in streams.
BEHAVIOR
Aggressive behavior takes place between calling males. One or both frogs dangle upside down while holding vegetation with their hind legs. The males grapple with each other until one drops off or flattens his body against the leaf.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Not known.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeding is coincident with significant rainfall. The call consists of three short beeps with a pitch of 5,300–6,000 Hz at a frequency of one to 43 calls per hour. Calls are made from the tops of leaves over streams. Males are not territorial and initiate amplexus with the female. Egg deposition can occur some distance from the calling site at heights of 0–10 ft (0–3 m) above the ground, usually on the top side of leaves but also on moss-covered rocks and branches. The average clutch of 20 black eggs is attended during the first night by the female, who lies motionless on top of the clutch. Males call vigorously during amplexus and immediately after egg deposition. Tadpoles are elongate and slender, with low caudal fins and eyes positioned dorsally. The oral disc has thin jaw sheaths and a labial tooth row formula of 2 (1)/3.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
