Part 5

5. Caudal musculature uniformly flecked with brown; lower tooth-rows 1-4 about equal in length to upper rows P. euthysanota euthysanota

Caudal musculature having brown square blotches dorsally on anterior one-half of tail; lower tooth-rows 1-4 usually slightly shorter than upper rows 6

6. Dorsal caudal blotches well defined and extending onto sides of tail; moderately large brown flecks on caudal fin; eye in life pale reddish brown P. leonhardschultzei

Dorsal caudal blotches faint, not extending onto sides of tail; small brown flecks on caudal fin; eye in life silvery bronze P. euthysanota macrotympanum

The Ptychohyla euthysanota Group

Three species in group; adults having moderate amount of webbing between fingers, and tarsal fold; breeding males having spinous, horny, nuptial tuberosities on pollex; mouths of tadpoles having lateral folds in lips and 4/6 or 4/7 tooth-rows; breeding call consisting of one long note.

=Ptychohyla euthysanota=

Diagnosis.--Rostral keel absent; nuptial spines in males small; interorbital region much wider than eyelid.

=Ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota= (Kellogg)

Hyla euthysanota Kellogg, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 41:123-124, June 29, 1928 [Holotype.--USNM 73296 from Los Esemiles, Depto. Chalatenango, El Salvador; Ruben A. Stirton collector]. Mertens, Senckenbergiana, 33:169-171, June 15, 1952; Abhand. Senckenbergische Naturf. Gesell., 487:29, December 1, 1952. Stuart, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 67:169, August 5, 1954.

Hyla rozellae Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 28:78-80, pl. 9, fig. 1, May 15, 1942 [Holotype.--USNM 115039 from Salto de Agua, Chiapas, Mexico; Hobart M. and Rozella Smith collectors]. Taylor and Smith, Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus., 95:587, June 30, 1945. Smith and Taylor, Bull. U. S. Natl. Mus., 194:86, June 17, 1948. Stuart, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 67:169, August 5, 1954.

Ptychohyla bogerti Taylor, Amer. Mus. Novitates, 1437:13-16, fig. 5, December 7, 1949 [Holotype.--AMNH 51847 from Rio Grande, Oaxaca, Mexico; Thomas MacDougall collector]. Stuart, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 67:169, August 5, 1954.

Ptychohyla euthysanota, Duellman, Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 13:351, April 27, 1961.

Diagnosis.--Dorsum tan to reddish brown; venter white; rarely flecked with brown or black; a white stripe on upper lip, on flank, and usually above anus.

Description.--The following description is based on KU 58008 from Finca La Paz, Depto. San Marcos, Guatemala (Pl. 12). Adult male having a snout-vent length of 35.0 mm.; tibia length, 16.5 mm.; tibia length/snout-vent length, 47.1 per cent; foot length, 14.2 mm.; head length, 11.0 mm.; head length/snout-vent length, 31.4 per cent; head width, 10.7 mm.; head width/snout-vent length, 30.6 per cent; diameter of eye, 3.3 mm.; diameter of tympanum, 1.8 mm.; tympanum/eye, 54.5 per cent. Snout in lateral profile nearly square, slightly rounded above, and in dorsal profile bluntly rounded; canthus pronounced; loreal region moderately concave; lips thick, rounded, and slightly flaring; nostrils protuberant; internarial distance, 3.0 mm.; top of head flat; interorbital distance, 4.1 mm., and approximately a third broader than width of eyelid, 2.9 mm. Moderately heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum to point above insertion of forelimb, covering upper edge of tympanum; tympanum round, its diameter slightly more than its distance from eye. Forearm moderately robust, having distinct dermal fold on wrist; dermal fold, but no row of tubercles along ventrolateral surface of forearm; pollex only slightly enlarged, bearing triangular shaped patch of small horn-covered spines (128 on right, 134 on left); second and fourth fingers equal in length; subarticular tubercles round, distal one on fourth finger bifid; discs moderate in size, that of third finger equal to diameter of tympanum; no web between first and second fingers; other fingers one-third webbed. Heels broadly overlap when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation reaches to middle of eye; low rounded tarsal fold; inner metatarsal tubercle large, elliptical, and flat; outer metatarsal tubercle small and round; low dermal fold from heel to disc of fifth toe; subarticular tubercles round; length of digits from shortest to longest 1-2-5-3-4; third and fifth toes webbed to base of disc; fourth toe webbed to proximal end of penultimate phalanx; thin dermal fold from inner metatarsal tubercle to disc of first toe; disc smaller than on fingers. Anal opening at the level of the upper edge of thighs; anal flap short; anal opening bordered above by thin transverse dermal fold and laterally by heavy dermal fold. Skin of dorsum and ventral surfaces of forelimbs and shanks smooth; that of throat, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular. Ventrolateral glands moderately developed, not reaching axilla or groin and broadly separated midventrally. Tongue ovoid, emarginate, and only slightly free posteriorly; vomerine teeth 2-2, situated on small triangular elevations between ovoid inner nares; openings to vocal sac large, one situated along inner posterior edge of each mandibular ramus.

Dorsal ground-color of head, body, and limbs dull reddish brown with irregular dark brown reticulations on head and body and dark brown transverse bands on limbs; dorsal surfaces of first and second fingers and webbing on hand cream color; dorsal surfaces of third and fourth fingers dull brown; anterior surfaces of thighs dull creamy yellow; posterior surfaces of thighs dull brown; tarsi and toes tan with brown flecks; webbing of feet brown; faint creamy white stripe along lateral edges of tarsi and forearms; thin white line along edge of upper lip; distinct white stripe above and beside anal opening; axilla white; throat, chest, belly, and ventral surfaces of forelimbs creamy white; flanks white, separated from pale venter by a row of partly connected dark brown spots; ventral surfaces of thighs dull creamy yellow; feet grayish brown; ventrolateral glands pale grayish brown; small brown flecks on periphery of chin.

In life the dorsal ground-color was pale reddish brown (Orange-Cinnamon); dorsal reticulations dark brown (Chocolate); dorsal surfaces of first and second fingers and webbing on hands creamy tan (Light Pinkish Cinnamon); posterior surfaces of thighs reddish brown (Vinaceous-Tawny); webbing of feet gray (Deep Mouse Gray); throat and belly grayish white (Pale Gull Gray); ventral surfaces of hind limbs creamy white (Marguerite Yellow); spots on flanks dark brown (Warm Sepia); iris reddish bronze (Apricot Orange).

Variation.--No geographic variation in structural characters is discernible; variation in size and proportions is given in Table 1. Of 32 adults examined, seven have the tongue shallowly notched posteriorly; in the others the tongue is emarginate. Twenty specimens have a bifid subarticular tubercle beneath the fourth finger; in the others there are no bifid tubercles.

The coloration described above is typical of the 16 specimens available from Finca La Paz. The living coloration at night, when the frogs were collected, was somewhat darker than the living colors described above, which were recorded for the frogs the morning after collection, at which time one individual had a pale reddish brown dorsum (Orange-Cinnamon) with dull olive green (Deep Grape Green) reticulations on the back and transverse bands on the limbs; the dorsal surfaces of the first and second fingers and the discs on the third and fourth fingers were orange (Mikado Orange).

More than half of the specimens from Finca La Paz agree in all essential characters with the description given above. The distinctness of the white stripe on the upper lip is variable; in two individuals the stripe is barely discernible. Likewise, in some individuals the white stripe on the flanks is not distinct, either because there are few or no brown spots separating the stripe from the pale venter, or because the ventrolateral gland has diffused the pale color on the flanks. There is some noticeable variation in dorsal coloration, either through a greater or lesser development of dark pigment. One specimen (KU 58007) is grayish tan above with dark brown markings; the posterior surfaces of the thighs are dull grayish yellow; the first and second fingers and the webbing on the hands are pale yellowish gray; the belly and throat are dusty white; the flecks on the throat are gray; the ventral surfaces of the feet are grayish brown. Dark individuals, such as KU 58009 have a uniform dark brownish black dorsum; the belly is cream; the first and second fingers and the webbing on the hands are dull creamy tan; the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the feet are dark brown. In KU 58013 there is a heavy suffusion of brown on the throat and flanks. Two specimens have scattered white flecks on the dorsum.

The reddish brown dorsal ground-color with dark brown reticulations on the head and body and dark brown transverse bands on the limbs seems to be rather constant throughout the range of the subspecies. Likewise, the presence of the white stripe on the upper lip and the white stripe around the anal opening are present on most specimens. In breeding males having well-developed ventrolateral glands the lateral white stripe often is obliterated.

Description of Tadpole.--The following description is based on KU 60042 from Finca La Paz, Depto. San Marcos, Guatemala (Figs. 4A and 6A). No limb buds; total length, 35.8 mm.; body length, 11.2 mm.; body length/total length, 31.3 per cent. Body moderately depressed, slightly wider than deep, ovoid in dorsal profile; mouth directed ventrally; eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils slightly protuberant and directed anteriorly, closer to eye than snout; spiracle sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. Caudal fin low, rounded posteriorly; depth of caudal musculature about one-half greatest depth of caudal fin; musculature extends nearly to tip of tail.

Mouth large; lips having deep lateral folds; two complete rows of papillae on lips; five to six rows of papillae laterally. Beaks moderately developed, bearing peglike serrations; slender lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows 4/6; upper rows subequal in length, second longest; fourth row interrupted medially; lower rows complete; lower rows 1-4 equal in length to upper rows; fifth lower row somewhat shorter; sixth lower row short.

Body brown above; tip of snout cream color; grayish cream color below; caudal musculature creamy tan; caudal fin transparent; cream-colored crescent-shaped mark on posterior edge of body and anterior part of caudal musculature, bordered posteriorly by dark brown blotch; scattered brown flecks on caudal musculature and posterior part of caudal fin. Eye bronze color in life.

Variation.--The variation in size and proportions is given in Table 2. In some specimens the first upper tooth-row is irregular, sometimes broken, and often shorter than other upper tooth-rows. Usually the fourth upper and first lower, and sometimes the sixth lower, tooth-rows are interrupted medially. One specimen has a short, irregular, seventh lower tooth-row; all others have six.

The cream-colored crescent-shaped mark usually is distinct. The brown blotch posterior to this mark is variously shaped ranging from a narrow vertical bar to a triangular blotch. Brown flecks seldom are present on the anterior part of the ventral caudal fin.

Comparisons.--Aside from the characters given in the diagnosis, P. euthysanota euthysanota can be distinguished from both P. spinipollex and P. leonhardschultzei by the absence of bold black and white marbling on the flanks; furthermore, from the former it can be distinguished by having more and smaller horny nuptial spines and from the latter by having the snout, in lateral profile, rounded above and not acutely angulate. Ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota differs from P. euthysanota macrotympanum by normally having a darker dorsal color, broader stripe on upper lip, and a distinct lateral stripe.

Occurring sympatrically with Ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota are several species of Plectrohyla, all of which differ in having a bony prepollex, rather rugose skin on the dorsum, and more squat bodies. Other sympatric species are Ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum, which lacks a tarsal fold and nuptial spines and has a red eye in life, Hyla salvadorensis, which has a green dorsum and lacks spinous nuptial tuberosities, and Hyla sumichrasti, a small yellow frog usually lacking vomerine teeth.