Hot Stove Herping: Peruvian Interlude Part 2
Posted: February 24th, 2011, 1:46 pm
The herping season is almost upon me so I need to wrap up Peru in a couple mega-posts. I want to share as much as I can but there’s no way I can cover everything
I took 3200-plus pictures and I regret not taking more, especially frog pix. One of the more visually stunning frogs for me was the Map Treefrog (Hyla geographica):
Here’s a geographica up in the canopy at night:
Other hylids included this Convict Frog (Hyla calcarifer), which unfortunately didn’t open its eyes for me:
Note the pointy calcars on the hind leg joints.
The extra-large Gladiator Treefrog (Hyla boans):
Marbled Treefrog (Hyla marmorata). This particular specimen hung out around our shower shack:
Another large frog that we saw in quantities was the Rocket Treefrog (Hyla lanciformis):
Here is another color variety of the Variable Clown Treefrog (Hyla triangulum)
A smaller species, the Least Treefrog (Hyla minuta):
One of our target frogs was the Amazon Milk Frog, Trachycephalus (Phrynohyas) resinofictrix. On our night hikes we could hear them calling up in the canopy – ‘wuuurk, wuuurk, wuuurk’. These frogs are cavity breeders, hiding out in hollow trees and stumps, and one night I spotted a likely candidate next to the trail - a dead tree with a ‘stumphole’ at the top, about ten feet up. Dick knocked on the trunk with his snake tongs, and sure enough, a frog poked up out of the top:
Awesome frog. Formal portrait of Trachycephalus resinofictrix:
Another Milk Frog species – Trachycephalus venulosa:
I also found myself enamored of the Bromeliad Frogs (Osteocephalus). Big frogs with big heads and big, grippy feet and toes. Here is one of the more ornate species, Osteocephalus fuscifacies:
The Flat-headed Bromeliad Frog, Osteocephalus planiceps:
The Osteos were often difficult to key out, and some are in a state of taxonomic flux (I took pills to avoid that). Here is Osteocephalus deridens:
One of the largest Bromeliad Frogs, Osteocephalus taurinus:
Plenty of other species were seen, including some rainforest icons. Here is a Harlequin Toad (Atelopus spumarius) sleeping on a leaf:
A spumarius out and about during the day.
Another Atelopus, in situ:
An awesome Crested Toad (Bufo margaritifer complex) on the trail:
There were plenty of little anurans around. Painted Forest Toadlet (Physalaemus petersi)
A microhylid, Bassler’s Sheep Frog (Chiasmocleis bassleri)
I have a hard time shooting those tiny dart frogs with my point-n-shoot – tough to get a focus lock on those dark eyes. Here’s a Dendrobates (Ranitomeya) uakari that came out reasonably well:
A little larger species – Three-striped Poison Frog (Epipedobates (Ameerga) trivittatus):
One night we piled into the skiff and motored to a small creek for some frogging. We searched among the hyacinth and water lettuce for several specific species of frogs:
We found a number of Pigmy Hatchet-faced Frogs (Sphaenorhynchus carneus):
Also on hand were Spotted Hatchet-faced Frogs (Sphaenorhynchus dorisae):
And a lone Polkadot Treefrog (Hyla punctata punctata):
We missed out on the Greater Hatchet-faced Frog (Sphaenorhynchus lacteus), but caught up with one later in the trip:
A month later I still have dreams where I walk through the forest. Hiking through the forest one day:
Doug Kranich and I at the base of the biggest ceiba tree in the surrounding forest:
Did a little kayaking on the Rio Orosa:
Imagine giving your six year old his own canoe and turning him loose on the river! In the US he wouldn’t be going out there without a life jacket, helmet, training wheels, sunscreen, GPS, medical alert bracelet, snack in case he gets hungry and a GameBoy for when he gets bored…
Some cool crocodilians – Smooth-fronted Caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus)
Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus):
We looked for Black Caiman without success, but here’s a skull that resides in the cookhouse:
that's it for this post - I'll finish up the serpents, lizards and the et ceteras in the next. Thanks for looking!
-Mike
I took 3200-plus pictures and I regret not taking more, especially frog pix. One of the more visually stunning frogs for me was the Map Treefrog (Hyla geographica):
Here’s a geographica up in the canopy at night:
Other hylids included this Convict Frog (Hyla calcarifer), which unfortunately didn’t open its eyes for me:
Note the pointy calcars on the hind leg joints.
The extra-large Gladiator Treefrog (Hyla boans):
Marbled Treefrog (Hyla marmorata). This particular specimen hung out around our shower shack:
Another large frog that we saw in quantities was the Rocket Treefrog (Hyla lanciformis):
Here is another color variety of the Variable Clown Treefrog (Hyla triangulum)
A smaller species, the Least Treefrog (Hyla minuta):
One of our target frogs was the Amazon Milk Frog, Trachycephalus (Phrynohyas) resinofictrix. On our night hikes we could hear them calling up in the canopy – ‘wuuurk, wuuurk, wuuurk’. These frogs are cavity breeders, hiding out in hollow trees and stumps, and one night I spotted a likely candidate next to the trail - a dead tree with a ‘stumphole’ at the top, about ten feet up. Dick knocked on the trunk with his snake tongs, and sure enough, a frog poked up out of the top:
Awesome frog. Formal portrait of Trachycephalus resinofictrix:
Another Milk Frog species – Trachycephalus venulosa:
I also found myself enamored of the Bromeliad Frogs (Osteocephalus). Big frogs with big heads and big, grippy feet and toes. Here is one of the more ornate species, Osteocephalus fuscifacies:
The Flat-headed Bromeliad Frog, Osteocephalus planiceps:
The Osteos were often difficult to key out, and some are in a state of taxonomic flux (I took pills to avoid that). Here is Osteocephalus deridens:
One of the largest Bromeliad Frogs, Osteocephalus taurinus:
Plenty of other species were seen, including some rainforest icons. Here is a Harlequin Toad (Atelopus spumarius) sleeping on a leaf:
A spumarius out and about during the day.
Another Atelopus, in situ:
An awesome Crested Toad (Bufo margaritifer complex) on the trail:
There were plenty of little anurans around. Painted Forest Toadlet (Physalaemus petersi)
A microhylid, Bassler’s Sheep Frog (Chiasmocleis bassleri)
I have a hard time shooting those tiny dart frogs with my point-n-shoot – tough to get a focus lock on those dark eyes. Here’s a Dendrobates (Ranitomeya) uakari that came out reasonably well:
A little larger species – Three-striped Poison Frog (Epipedobates (Ameerga) trivittatus):
One night we piled into the skiff and motored to a small creek for some frogging. We searched among the hyacinth and water lettuce for several specific species of frogs:
We found a number of Pigmy Hatchet-faced Frogs (Sphaenorhynchus carneus):
Also on hand were Spotted Hatchet-faced Frogs (Sphaenorhynchus dorisae):
And a lone Polkadot Treefrog (Hyla punctata punctata):
We missed out on the Greater Hatchet-faced Frog (Sphaenorhynchus lacteus), but caught up with one later in the trip:
A month later I still have dreams where I walk through the forest. Hiking through the forest one day:
Doug Kranich and I at the base of the biggest ceiba tree in the surrounding forest:
Did a little kayaking on the Rio Orosa:
Imagine giving your six year old his own canoe and turning him loose on the river! In the US he wouldn’t be going out there without a life jacket, helmet, training wheels, sunscreen, GPS, medical alert bracelet, snack in case he gets hungry and a GameBoy for when he gets bored…
Some cool crocodilians – Smooth-fronted Caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus)
Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus):
We looked for Black Caiman without success, but here’s a skull that resides in the cookhouse:
that's it for this post - I'll finish up the serpents, lizards and the et ceteras in the next. Thanks for looking!
-Mike