Isthmohyla calypsa

Isthmohyla calypsa is a frog that lives in Costa Rica and Panama. Scientists have seen it in between 1500 and 2100 meters above sea level.

Appearance

Unlike other frogs, I. calypsa has spiky spines coming out of its head and back.  It is bright green with some brown marks.  Male and female frogs have different kinds of dark marks.  This frog's throat and stomach are white.  It does not have bars on its legs.  It has large eyes and a short nose.

The adult male frog is 26 to 36 mm long from nose to rear end and the adult female frog is 31 to 41 mm long.  This frog has more webbing on its back feet than on its front feet.

Unlike other tadpoles, I. calypsa tadpoles do not have disks on their mouths.

Actions

This frog hides during the day and moves around night.

When it is time for the females to lay eggs, adult male frogs, adult female frogs, and young frogs will come to streams in the forest.  Frogs usually come back to the same one every year.  Scientists watching the frogs could not find the young frogs after a few days, but the adult frogs stayed.

Male frogs are territorial.  They will choose one place to sit and sing and return to the same one for many years.  Usually, they choose a plant hanging over a flowing stream.  Male frogs are usually at least 1.9 meters apart.

The female frog lays eggs on the undersides of leaves, the side facing the ground.  Then she goes away from the stream.  When the tadpoles hatch, they fall into the water.  Scientists only saw eggs on the tops of the leaves a few times.  They take 270 days to grow into young frogs.

The female frog lays only one clutch (group of eggs) per visit to the stream, but sometimes she comes back and lays a second or third clutch.

Predators

Some insects, for example crickets, eat this frog's eggs.  Parasite flies also lay their own eggs in with the frog's egg.  When the fly larva hatch, they eat all the frog eggs nearby.  Between 1991 and 1996, one team of scientists watched 615 clutches (groups) of frog eggs.  65% of them did not have even one egg that hatched.  About a third of these were because of flies.  Frog eggs can also die if they dry out.

Threats

This frog is in danger of dying out because human beings change the places where it lives.  It is also in danger from disease.  A fungus causes the disease chytridiomycosis in this frog.

Names

This frog is named after Calypso from Greek mythology.  This frog has camoflage on its skin, and Calypso is good at hiding.

Scientists used to think this was the same frog as Isthmohyla lancasteri but now they know they are two different species.

References

Category:Frogs of North America