Gladiator Tree Frog

Description:

TRAITS. The giant tree frog is also known as the gladiator tree frog and was formerly classified as Hyla boans. It is the largest tree frog found in Trinidad with males reaching sizes of 100 mm and females 110 mm from snout to vent. The eyes are large and pupils are horizontally arranged. They are of brownish or grey hues and may have a reticulated patter n on the lower eyelid (Murphy 1997). The back is usually covered in darker coloured irregular blotches and most have a dark/black stripe that starts in the middle of the head close to the snout and runs down the spine ending near the vent. The legs are striped with thick dark blotches with some having vertical lines on the thighs. Toes and fingers are more webbed than in other species and end in large discs. The males possess a sharp bony structure called a prepollex spine that grows from the wrist region and is located next to their thumbs. This spine is usually covered in a sheath of skin but the tip is exposed (Zug et al. 2001). Habitat:

Habitat:

ECOLOGY. It is found over large geographic range inclusive of Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela as well as other countries in South America. It can be found in Trinidad in Arima, Maraval, Maracas, North and Central Ranges and Nariva but has not been reported in Tobago. (Murphy 1997). The giant tree frog avoids higher elevations, and is found in forested areas and near bodies of water such as ponds and streams during the mating season. Mainly anarboreal species they will descend to the ground to dig nests in the banks of rivers and ponds during the mating season. It feeds primarily on insects, small crabs, beetles and other invertebrates (Murphy 1997).