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Amphibians of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AMPHIBIA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Amphibians (Class Amphibia)

-Frogs and Toads (Order Anura)

-Southern Frogs (Family Leptodactylidae)

-Subfamily (Leptodactylinae)

-Neotropical Grass Frogs (Genus Leptodactylus)

-Sabinal Frog (Leptodactylus melanonotus)


The Sabinal Frog (Leptodactylus melanonotus) is a medium-sized terrestrial frog that inhabits tropical dry forests, marshes, grasslands, agricultural fields, roadside ditches, and other lowland habitats around Zihuatanejo. Adults are primarily nocturnal and become especially active during the rainy season, when males call from the edges of temporary ponds and flooded areas. Like many members of the family Leptodactylidae, this species reproduces by constructing foam nests, in which the eggs develop before heavy rains or rising water release the tadpoles into nearby pools. It is an adaptable species that thrives in both natural and disturbed habitats and is one of the most widespread frogs of Mexico's Pacific coastal lowlands.


The Sabinal Frog (Leptodactylus melanonotus) is the the only species of Southern Frog (family Leptodactylidae) documented in the Zihuatanejo area.

Sabinal Frog
(Leptodactylus melanonotus)

Diet

  • Primarily ants, termites, beetles, crickets, flies, spiders, and other small terrestrial invertebrates.

  • Occasionally feeds on small worms and other arthropods found in leaf litter.

  • Hunts mainly at night, actively searching along the ground near ponds, streams, and temporary pools.

Range

  • Found from central Sonora and southern Tamaulipas, Mexico, south through Central America to southwestern Ecuador.

  • Widespread throughout much of Mexico, including the Pacific coast and the Zihuatanejo region of Guerrero.

  • Occurs from sea level to about 2,000 m elevation.

Habitat

  • Occupies tropical dry forests, tropical moist lowland forests, mangroves, savannas, grasslands, marshes, ponds, temporary pools, stream margins, canals, and agricultural areas.

  • Frequently found in disturbed habitats such as pastures, plantations, rural gardens, and roadside ditches.

  • A terrestrial and semi-aquatic species that is most active during the rainy season.

  • Breeds in temporary rain pools, where the female lays eggs in a foam nest constructed at the water's edge or in shallow depressions. Heavy rains wash the tadpoles into the water after hatching.

Size

  • Male: 30–45 mm (1.2–1.8 in)

  • Female: 40–55 mm (1.6–2.2 in)

  • Weight: 5–15 g 

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