Abstract

Adult Leptodactylus syphax are moderately sized (males 58-83 mm, females 70-90 mm SVL). The head is about as long as wide, but usually is just wider than long. The hind limbs are moderately short (Table 1; Heyar and Thompson 2000 provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are laterally expanded, tan, and not darker than the adjacent throat. The male snout is not spatulate, the snout profile is rounded to obtuse in both sexes. Male arms are hypertrophied during the breeding season in sexually active males. The male thumb has two large, sharp, black spines; a pair of black chest spine patches has sharp, protruding spines. The dorsum is indistinctly patterned with dark, poor1y defined spots or blotches, sometimes the spots/blotches are regularly distributed. A dark posteriorly-directed triangular interorbital mark is variably present. The supratympanic fold is either the same color as or noticeably darker than the tan or brown surrounding area. There are no dorso-lateral folds. The dorsum is smooth to weakly rugose with large white tubercles limited to the sacral and postsacral region. The toe tips are rounded and are either weakly or noticeably swollen with a diameter greater than the region immediately behind the toe tip. The toes usually lack any lateral fringe or ridge or basal webbing; rarely the toes have weak ridges or a trace of webbing between toes II-III-IV. The dorsal surface of the shank has scattered white or blacktipped tubercles. The posterior surface of the tarsus and sole of the foot are either smooth or have a few large white or black-tipped tubercles. The upper lip has poorly defined to distinct vertical bars, one between the nostril and eye and two underneath the eye, or a complex dark and light pattern. There is no mid-dorsal stripe. The belly is lightly to moderately mottled with light gray or brown markings. The posterior surfaces of the thighs are boldly patterned with various-sized light tan and brown markings and lack a light longitudinal stripe on the lower halves.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-15-2010

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2010 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. This article first appeared in Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles, January 15, 2010, 868.1-68.9.

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