2. Amphibians
  3. Amphibians - Central America

Not-so-treefrogs - Central America

A collection of photographs to showcase some of the lesser known, but no less brilliant, "ground dwelling" frogs (though it's true that many of these species will readily take to climbing).
Included in this gallery is my favorite group- the rain/litter frogs. At first glance, most of these frogs appear as small brown flashes of movement along the trail side as they flee from our thudding footsteps, many of which are less than two inches in total length! It is my hope to show these often overlooked animals in a different prospective, a new light- and hope they will bring you as much joy as they bring me.

Enjoy,
-Don
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Green-and-black Poison Dart frogs (<I>Dendrobates auratus</i>) display a dizzying array of color and pattern variations, which reaches its peak diversity in Panama. Macedonio and I set out early one morning from the Pacific mountain town of El Cope, Panama and started our traverse up and over the continental divide. After crossing over the divide, we traveled down the Caribbean slope until we reached our destination- the small village of Santa Marta. Now, the night before, Macedonio had told me that the Dendrobates over there were "celeste- no azul, no verde, pero, son celeste". Blue, green, blue/green, whatever color I had in my mind could not prepare me for seeing this beauty! This trek was full of amazing spectacles- stream crossings, riverside rocket frogs, herds of toadlets, 20 meter high rainforest waterfalls with hidden pools, and even a pygmy owl smaller than my hand! But it was this celestial frog that stole the spotlight for the day!
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Green-and-black Poison Dart frogs (Dendrobates auratus) display a dizzying array of color and pattern variations, which reaches its peak diversity in Panama. Macedonio and I set out early one morning from the Pacific mountain town of El Cope, Panama and started our traverse up and over the continental divide. After crossing over the divide, we traveled down the Caribbean slope until we reached our destination- the small village of Santa Marta. Now, the night before, Macedonio had told me that the Dendrobates over there were "celeste- no azul, no verde, pero, son celeste". Blue, green, blue/green, whatever color I had in my mind could not prepare me for seeing this beauty! This trek was full of amazing spectacles- stream crossings, riverside rocket frogs, herds of toadlets, 20 meter high rainforest waterfalls with hidden pools, and even a pygmy owl smaller than my hand! But it was this celestial frog that stole the spotlight for the day!

Dendrobates auratusbluepanamasanta martagreen and black poison dart frogparque nacional omar torrijosomar torrijos national parkcelestial blueblue frograinforest frogcolorful frogpoison arrow frogtoxicaposematic warning colorationtropical frog

  • "Walk it off" Yet another small undescribed species of tink frog from the mountains of Panama. This secretive little male is closely related to <i>Diasporus diastema</i>.
  • The endangered Limosa harlequin toad (<i>Atelopus limosus</i>) Panama May 2013
  • One of Panama's endemic beauties, the Toad Mountain harlequin toad (<i>Atelopus certus</i>) Panama May 2013
  • A member of the <i>Craugastor rhodopus</i> group that is extremely similar to <i>C. bransfordii</i> Central Panama May 2013
  • In a frantic leap to escape the camera, this Broad-headed Rainfrog (<i>Craugastor megacephalus</i>) jumped onto my computer screen.
  • Clay-colored Rainfrog (<i>Pristimantis cerasinus</i>), again with those sunset eyes
  • A Clay-colored Rainfrog (<i>Pristimantis cerasinus</i>) checking to see if the coast is clear
  • While Golden-groined Rainfrog (<i>Pristimantis cruentus</i>) eyes can vary dramatically in regards to color, they usually have the reticulations present in the iris.
  • Critically Endangered Green-eyed Frog (<i>Lithobates vibicarius</i>) from ~2000m elevation. Once considered a common highland species of Costa Rica and Panama, in 2008 this frog was placed on the IUCN "Critically Endangered" list.
  • Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (<I>Oophaga pumilio</i>) from the El Plastico Biological Station in Costa Rica
  • Green-and-black Poison Dart frogs (<I>Dendrobates auratus</i>) display a dizzying array of color and pattern variations, which reaches its peak diversity in Panama. Macedonio and I set out early one morning from the Pacific mountain town of El Cope, Panama and started our traverse up and over the continental divide. After crossing over the divide, we traveled down the Caribbean slope until we reached our destination- the small village of Santa Marta. Now, the night before, Macedonio had told me that the Dendrobates over there were "celeste- no azul, no verde, pero, son celeste". Blue, green, blue/green, whatever color I had in my mind could not prepare me for seeing this beauty! This trek was full of amazing spectacles- stream crossings, riverside rocket frogs, herds of toadlets, 20 meter high rainforest waterfalls with hidden pools, and even a pygmy owl smaller than my hand! But it was this celestial frog that stole the spotlight for the day!
  • How Big is it Really? There is no frog more deserving of its name. This is a hatchling (direct development, no tadpole stage) Pygmy Rainfrog (<i>Pristimantis ridens</i>) placed on a US dime for size comparison. Members of the terrarana of Central America are often less than two inches in length when fully grown.
  • This is a recently described species of tink frog from western Panama. The Yellow Dyer Tink Frog (<i>Diasporus citrinobapheus</i>) is named because when handled, the golden yellow coloration comes off and stains your hands. While it is common for species of <i>Diasporus</i> to have white lines demarcating their disc covers, this species displays a gorgeous pattern of white all over the fingers and toes.
  • <i>Diasporus citrinobapheus</i>- a species of tink frog that was just described in May, 2012 El Valle, Panama June, 2012
  • <i>Diasporus citrinobapheus</i>- a species of tink frog that was just described in May, 2012 El Valle, Panama June, 2012
  • <i>Diasporus citrinobapheus</i>- a species of tink frog that was just described in May, 2012 Note the diptera larva on the dorsum El Valle, Panama June, 2012
  • <i>Diasporus citrinobapheus</i>- a species of tink frog that was just described in May, 2012. Parque Nacional Omar Torrijos, El Cope, Panama September, 2012
  • I found this undescribed species of rainfrog, genus <i>Pristimantis</i>, in the mountains of El Cope, Panama. It is closely related to the Golden-groined Rainfrog (<i>Pristimantis cruentus</i>).
  • I found this undescribed species of rainfrog, genus: <i>Pristimantis</i>, in the mountains of El Cope, Panama. It is closely related to the Golden-groined Rainfrog (<i>Pristimantis cruentus</i>).
  • Critically endangered Panama's famous golden frog- <i>Atelopus zeteki</i>
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