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).