# Peruvian Amazon 5 -- Madre Selva Frogs



## moloch05 (Feb 17, 2010)

This post will include frog and invertebrate (non-butterfly) photos that I made at Madre Selva while on a Margarita Tour in January, 2010. As I mentioned before, this year was unusually dry. We still observed frogs each night but the numbers were apparently low when compared to a year with more typical rainfall. We received a heavy downpour on one afternoon and early evening and this night was better than most for amphibians. Most of the frogs were found on leaves of shrubs but a few were terrestrial. I did not see many species of frogs along the creeks or rivers. I did hear Moaning River Frogs (_Hydrolaetare schmidtii_) calling from the riverbank of the Rio Orosa and saw large numbers of _Hyla triangulum_ and _Sphaenorhynchus dorisae_ on floating vegetation. Amazon climbing salamanders (_Bolitoglossa altmazonica_) were found on leaves and the two Caecilians (_Caecilia gracilis_) were observed in rain-water pools right on the trail.

As usual, I have Dick Bartlett to thank for most of the identifications. I found the amphibians to be a difficult group to recognize. If I have made mistakes, please let me know and I will correct the post.

Dick also sent me some background information regarding frog taxonomy that may be useful to others. Dick indicated that the old genus _Hyla_ as been divided into _Dendropsophus_, _Hypsiboas_, _Scinax_, _Osteocephalus_ and others. Likewise, _Eleutherodactylus_ has been divided into _Pristimantis_, _Strobomantis_, _Oreobates_, _Hypodactylus_, etc. _Ischnocnema_ is now considered a member of _Oreobates_ by some. I also found various names for the poison frogs such as _Epipedobates_ in some guides but _Allobates_ or _Ameerga_ in others. When searching the net, I encountered all of these names and became quite confused as to what the animals are actually called at this point in time.


_Caecilia gracilis_? -- On the night of the heavy rain, the "big loop" trail was flooded. There were pools of water everywhere and this was where we found two caecilians. Courtney had lots of trouble trying to pick up the following animal. It was slippery and strong enough to repeatedly escape from his hand. Young also tried to catch another animal but it managed to escape into a big pool. We could not relocate it. 







Amazon climbing salamanders (_Bolitoglossa altmazonica_): We saw one or two on most nights.











Common Harlequin Toad (_Atelopus spumarius_): Young and Matt knew the location along the big loop trail where these beautiful toads could be found. They seemed to be restricted to an area with sandy soil.






_Dendrobates duellmani_? I believe that this is the name currently used for this gorgeous frog. One of the references lists it in the genus _Ranitomeya_. These were tiny frogs that were wary and could jump surprisingly far. They were very easy to loose when they dropped into the leaf litter. 






Spotted-thighed Poison Frog (_Epipedobates femoralis_): These little frogs appeared to be terrestrial. They could disappear quickly into the leaf litter when disturbed. One reference has included it in the genus _Allobates_.






Pale-striped Amazon Poison Frog (_Epipedobates hahneli_): These frog closely resembled the previous species in pattern and colour. These also seemed to be terrestrial.











Three-striped Poison Frog (_Epipedobates trivattus_): This was a spectacular frog and it was much larger than the other members of the family at Madre Selva. They did not appear to be common as I only saw two although I was out every night. Both were sitting on leaves within a meter of the ground.












Gladiator Treefrog (_Hyla boans_): This was a huge frog.







Convict Treefrog (_Hyla calcarata_):







Spotted-thighed Treefrog (_Hyla fasciata_):






Rocket Treefrog (_Hyla lanciformes_):







Least Treefrog (_Hyla minuta_)?? a big maybe regarding this identification.







Common Polkadot Treefrog (_Hyla punctata_): A very attractive species.












Variable Clown Treefrog (_Hyla triangulum_): One night, a number of us went on a boat ride along the shores of the Rio Orosa. We found an area that was thick with floating plants. Frogs were abundant as were insects. One of the guys saw a _Plecostemus_ on plants near the surface. Fish were everywhere and these jumped often. 























Painted Antnest Frog (_Lithobates lineatus_): According to Dick's book, this species is considered to be a mimic of the poison frog, _Epipedobates femoralis_. These frogs are apparently found near the nests of leaf-cutter ants. I found this animal on a log above a stream of leaf-cutters. I did not notice a nearby nest.






Bromeliad Frog (_Osteocephalus deridens_):








Bromeliad Frog (_Osteocephalus yasuni_)?: This yellow frog looks a little like some of the _Litoria_ here in Australia.







Amazonian Milk Treefrog (_Phrynohyas resinfictrix_): This individual was very drab compared to some of the photos of these big treefrogs.







Two-striped Treefrog (_Scinax rubra_):







Spotted Hatchet-faced Treefrog (Sphaenorhynchus dorisae): This species was another that was common on floating vegetation.







Giant Monkey Frog (_Phyllomedusa bicolor_): Monkey Frogs were beautiful amphibians that would walk rather than jump.












_Eleutherodactylus sp_.?








_Ischnocnema quixensis_







Dwarf Jungle Frog (_Leptodactylus wagneri_) complex:







Smokey Jungle Frog (_Leptodactylus pentadactylus_) 







Bassler's Sheep Frog (_Chiasmocleis bassleri_): a terrestrial species.







Amazon Sheep Frog (_Hamptophryne boliviana_):







... Now, the invertebrates:

ARACHNIDS:
I really liked these strange creatures:







Sights like this were not all that uncommon. This arachnid had been attacked and killed by a fungus. The fungus enveloped and digested the body. All that was left was some of the exoskeleton and parts of the dried fungus.







Harvestman with giant legs:








Banana Spider. This animal was huge and agro. It would rear when disturbed










... another:






Another nicely coloured spider:






Wolf Spider? Also agro. It jumped onto my boot when I disturbed it.






Web-casting Spider: This spider will apparently toss a web over a small animal that comes within range. We saw these occasionally at night.







This spider was amazing. It was the largest arachnid that I have ever seen and it was heavy enough to be heard as it ran across the floor of the photo lab.







Scorpions were occasionally seen as they faced downward like this on small trees.







Tail-less Whip Scropion. These were often seen on fallen logs or near the base of large tree trunks at night.





... what a face! They look as if they are from a movie about aliens.







A pretty scarab:






Pleasing Fungus Beetle:






Tiger Beetle:






Lampyrid juvenile. I was told that this insect hunted small snails. It had a tubular mandible and it would stab this into a snail to feed on its juices. Lovely.







Any ideas? I don't even recognize the order. I don't believe that it is a lepidopteran but I don't know what it is.






Grasshoppers with flattened bodies:










Dead-leaf Katydids: I loved their incredible patterns.










A normal looking katydid that is undergoing ecdysis:







Monster Katydid. These were the largest insects that I have ever seen. Some of them were gigantic.







Pretty cricket:






Painted Grasshopper:






Dead-leaf Mantis: It certainly looked like a cluster of dead leaves.







Stick Insect:







Wax-tailed Plant Hopper. These homopterans could fly, despite their strange growths.






Wasp nest that was built into the ground. It had a lip that was a few cms above the surface of the soil. I suppose that this helped to avoid flooding.






Damselfly:






Helicopter Damselfly: These were wonderful to see. They were big damsels that flew with a slow wingbeat. I usually could only see the yellow wingtips in the poor light of the forest interior. The remainder of the wings and body were almost invisible.






Pygmy Kingfisher: We saw several of these and Ringed Kingfishers asleep on vegetation that hung over the water.






Red-headed Cardinal -- Common along the Rio Orosa.







These fruiting fungi make me think of "Avatar":







Wine-cup fungus:







Strange seed pods:







Unusual flowers:












Regards,
David


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## pyrodarknessanny (Feb 17, 2010)

wow awesome colection of photos you got there.
loving all the diffrent froggies.


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## Asharee133 (Feb 17, 2010)

love it love it love it!!!!! is there another part coming??


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## GeckoJosh (Feb 17, 2010)

Wow some amazing pictures, people like you that share such extraordinary images with us is what makes this site worthwhile 

One of my favourites would have to be Common Polkadot Treefrog (_Hyla punctata_)
and also also the Amazon climbing salamanders (_Bolitoglossa altmazonica) 
_


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## nicman72 (Feb 17, 2010)

Better than Discovery Channel, David. Thank you wholeheartedly for taking the time to share these incredible photos.
Stay safe over there,
Nic


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## xavarx7 (Feb 17, 2010)

wow great pics.. love the frogs there so amazing. thanks for posting them up here


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## DDALDD (Feb 17, 2010)

Absolutely brilliant mate. Have been looking forward to these.


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## froggyboy86 (Feb 17, 2010)

Amazing photos David, I can only dream of seeing some of those species. Its interesting to compare them to species we have here in Australia. 

Aaron


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## Sock Puppet (Feb 17, 2010)

Wow, those pics are just incredible. Some of those frogs are spectacular. 

I have a question about the monkey frogs, are they the ones that rub a waxy secretion over themselves? I can't remember if it's to help retain moisture, or protection from the sun. Or both.

Great post David.


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## thals (Feb 17, 2010)

Absolutely amazing, what a fascinating array of wildlife and colours! The frogs are simply stunning, the vivid colouration and the shape of that monkey frog is almost chameleon like! The spiders, well, I am in awe again of, esp that one pictured next to your foot, what a beautiful creature!

Cheers 8)


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## gus11 (Feb 18, 2010)

froggyboy86 said:


> Amazing photos David, I can only dream of seeing some of those species. Its interesting to compare them to species we have here in Australia.
> 
> Aaron



i also found it interesting trying to compare these to Australian species. quite a number of them look just like our species with different colors. Quite similarly they could be confused with many bornean species that are extremely similar. Even the invertebrates are very similar to those we get here, quite an incredible comparisson and incredible group of photos

Gus


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## jordo (Feb 18, 2010)

Stunning series of photos David!


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## ReptilianGuy (Feb 18, 2010)

Amazing as always, my fiancee and I have been checking daily for the next installment of your photo series. Hoping there will be some more posts!


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## JasonL (Feb 18, 2010)

great pics, love the fungi! gee you couldn't find any plane brown frogs to take pics of?


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## PhilK (Feb 18, 2010)

I am so glad I clicked on this link... That first invertebrate is a harvestman as well. Amazing that they can control those legs!


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## TahneeMaree (Feb 18, 2010)

WoW! Amazing Photos!


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## moloch05 (Feb 18, 2010)

Thanks, pyrodarknessanny.

Asharee,
I will have two posts next week (Santa Cruz) and two the following week (Allpahuayo Mishana and the people on the tour). I am glad that you are enjoying these.

Geckoman,
Those little toads were beauties. Unfortunately, they are declining throughout much of their range. I read that chytrid is hitting them hard. The guys who visit Madre Selva are always concerned about checking for these. The fear is that some year, they will be gone.

Appreciate that, Nic, but I am home now. We had no issues at all with safety in Iquitos or the basin. The people were a friendly lot.

thanks, xavarx7 and DDALD

aaron and gus,
I also thought that a number of the frogs had counterparts up north. In the next post, I have photos of one of the Bromeliad Frogs (Osteocephalus cabrerai), a real "genimac" counterpart.


Sock Puppet,
You are correct! I did not remember hearing that so checked my reptile guide (Dick Bartletts "Reptiles and Amphibians of the Amazon"). These frogs do produce a waxy secretion from the skin that retards dessication in dry weather.


thanks, pythonrockchic,
Your description is good. The monkey frogs are chameleon like. They look really odd when they slowly walk along a branch. I will have photos of a walking animal in the Santa Cruz Frogs post next week.


thanks, jordo, ReptilianGuy, JasonL, TahneeMaree.

PhilK,
I have seen a name for these weird harvestman on another forum. I will try and find it.



Regards,
David


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## gecko-mad (Feb 18, 2010)

WOW Always a pleasure to spend hours looking at your photos!


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## absinthe_616 (Feb 18, 2010)

wow david! those pictures are amazing! i especially like the white furry moth, the salamander and the orange striped frog! amazing!


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## moloch05 (Feb 19, 2010)

Thanks, gecko-mad and absinthe.

Here are a few more arachnids.


A pretty harvestman:





This harvestman had its own collection of arachnid ectoparasites:






Another scorpion in the forest:







Regards,
David


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## ShnakeyGirl (Feb 19, 2010)

Hi David,

Just wondering, were you lucky enough to see any Caimans? and will we be lucky enough to see them?


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## moloch05 (Feb 19, 2010)

ShnakeyGirl,

I saw Spectacled Caimans along the Rio Orosa. The guides captured one but I unfortunately missed my photo opportunity. I do have shots of a captive Smooth Caiman that I will include in my final Allpahauyo Mishana post.

I think that you would enjoy the following post from Madre Selve by Christopher, an avid herper over on FHF. Follow his links and you will see hordes of interesting animals.

a 2010 post:
FieldHerpForum &bull; View topic - Return to the Peruvian Amazon, PT1, Snakes and Caiman


... another good one from 2008, includes Black Caiman:
FieldHerpForum &bull; View topic - Into the Peruvian Amazon--PT 1--With Legs and scales


Eitan has a great report from the same place:
Herp Trips


Young has had a couple of series of posts from two trips:
FieldHerpForum &bull; View topic - Peruvian Amazon 2007 Part One
FieldHerpForum &bull; View topic - Peruvian Amazon 2007 Part Two


Dick Bartlett has still others on FHF. There are plenty there to keep one entertained for hours. Madre Selva in particular has received a great deal of attention due to its amazing diversity. It is one of the best and most accessible sites in the upper Amazon, hence all of the visits.


Regards,
David


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## Robo1 (Feb 19, 2010)

Wow, amazing photos. Thanks for sharing David


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## Bricked (Feb 19, 2010)

this the convict frog +)


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## moloch05 (Feb 19, 2010)

Thanks, Robo. 

Bricked, I think that I missed something.

Here are a few additional pics of the species posted above. Some of these frogs are just so beautiful!




























I posted the arachnid photos on arachnoboards and now have better identifications of these animals.

1 & 2) A male whip scorpion, maybe genus _Heterophrynus_.








1) _Phoneutria_, family Ctenidae
2) _Pamphobeteus sp_.









1) family Ctenidae
2) Huntsman, family Sparassidae









1) family Ctenidae
2) _Tityus sp_.










Here are a few additional photos supplied by Ted Cordery.

Pleasing Fungus Beetle:






in-situ Bassler's Sheep Frog (_Chiasmocleis bassleri_): 






in-situ _Osteocephalus_, maybe _O. yasuni_.






Regards,
David


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## gecko-mad (Feb 19, 2010)

You beauty! The pics just keep coming!

Love the huntsman.


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## ReptilianGuy (Feb 20, 2010)

moloch05 said:


> ShnakeyGirl,
> 
> I saw Spectacled Caimans along the Rio Orosa. The guides captured one but I unfortunately missed my photo opportunity. I do have shots of a captive Smooth Caiman that I will include in my final Allpahauyo Mishana post.
> 
> ...




Thanks very much David, it certainly will keep me entertained for hours. Caiman's are beautiful and fascinating animals.

Opps, sorry I realised my fiancee was logged in!

-ShnakeyGirl


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## whcasual79 (Feb 20, 2010)

amazing photos mate ... quality


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