Study system
The monkey frogs or leaf frogs (family Phyllomedusidae) currently
comprise eight genera, including Phyllomedusa (15 species) andCallimedusa (six species) (Duellman et al. 2016; Frost 2017). The
larvae of Phyllomedusa vaillanti and P. bicolor exhibit a
greenish coloration on most body surface, which becomes clearer towards
the tail. The loreal zone is yellow-orange and presents yellow
iridescent reflections towards the sides. In addition, P.
vaillanti has a yellow or green metallic interocular patch that
differentiates it from P. bicolor (Caramaschi and Jim 1983, Lynch
and Suárez-Mayorga 2011). C. tomopterna instead has a uniform
translucent grey or dark orange coloration and black fins, with a dark
spot at the rear end of the tail (Figure 1-A). The tadpoles of the three
species present a pear-shaped body, with a relatively narrow tail and a
downward curving tail tip; the eyes are big and are located
dorsolaterally. Species are widely spread in the Amazon and live in both
primary or secondary forests (Duellman 1974).
Our research was conducted at the Reserva Natural Tanimboca (4 °
07’10.98 ” S, 69 ° 57’04.57 ”O), 11 kilometers north to the city of
Leticia, in the Colombia’s Amazon region. Average annual rainfall is
3432 mm, with maximum values between January–April, and minimum between
July–September. The average annual temperature is 25.7 ° C and relative
humidity is around 87-90% throughout the year (Higuera 1996;
Mueses-Cisneros 2007). We conducted five field trips in 2014 and 2015,
two during rainy seasons (December–January) and three during dry
seasons (April–June).