#smilisca

Masked Tree Frogs (Smilisca phaeota) in amplexus (mating embrace), family Hylidae, Costa Rica

Lowland Burrowing Treefrog (Smilisca fodiens), family Hylidae, South-central Arizona, USA

Masked Treefrog - Smilisca phaeota | ©Don Filipiak   (Costa Rica)

Smilisca phaeota (Hylidae), a species of frog native to Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama [1], is commonly named Masked Tree Frog, Central American Smilisca, and New Granada cross-banded tree frog.

Smilisca phaeota is a relatively large hylid frog, with adult size reaching up to 78 mm. This frog can be easily distinguished, since it is the only large tree frog in Costa Rica that has both a silvery white stripe on the upper lip and a dark, masklike stripe from the nostril to the insertion of the arms. Many individuals have a green spot on each side of the head between the dark mask and the lip.

Coloration can range from pale green to tan, and the frog may either be uniform in color or have dark olive green to dark brown dorsal blotches. Smilisca phaeota is capable of changing color. It can change the color of its upper surface to tan or green. They are usually tan during the day and change to green during the night.

The eardrums (tympana) are visible. The eyes are large, with horizontal elliptical pupils and copper colored irises.

Masked tree frog | ©Ismael Chaves