Agalychnis callidryas (Cope, 1862) - Red-Eyed Leaf Frog

(Photo: Tammy Raabe Rao/rubicat.com)		Family	Hylidae (Treefrogs)
		Subfamily	Phyllomedusinae (Leaf & Monkey Frogs)
		Origin	Central America (Southern Mexico to Panama)
		Adult Snout-to-Vent Length	Male: 50 - 55 mm (1.96 - 2.16 inches); Female: 65 - 70 mm (2.55 - 2.75 inches)
		Life span	4-10 years in captivity
		Captive Difficulty	Intermediate
		Breeding Difficulty	Intermediate
		Activity	Strictly nocturnal
		Temperature	Day: 26-28 °C (78-82 °F); Night: 22-24 °C (71-75 °F)
		Food	Crickets, moths, and other active insects

Description & Natural History

The Red-Eyed Leaf Frog is probably the single-most photographed amphibian species in the world, and are often referred to as the poster-child for the rainforest. It inhabits tropical rainforest in both the Pacific and Atlantic lowlands and foothills of Central America, from the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, southward towards Panama, with their range stopping at the Columbian border. At present the Red-Eyed Leaf Frog is considered a common species in most of its range and is not threatened.

Male and female Red-Eyed Leaf Frogs in amplexus (Photo: Dr. Peter Weish)

The Red-Eyed Leaf Frog is a slender arboreal frog belonging to the family Hylidae and subfamily Phyllomedusinae. The dorsum is a bright leaf green during the day and a darker shade after dark, with the venter being a white to creamy color. Some individuals may have white spots upon their backs. The eyes, as the common name suggests, are red with a vertical pupil. The hands and feet are orange, with fingers and toes having well-developed discs and partial webbing. Specimens from the southern part of this species' range have blue to purple on the inner surfaces of their arms and legs, and in the northern parts of their range these surfaces are orange in color. Southern individuals have blue sides or flanks with three to eight pale yellow, vertical bars. In northern specimens the flanks can be more towards the brown or red side with the barring being a darker shade of yellow than that of the southern populations. All specimens that I have seen in the reptile trade are of the southern population. During the day all these hues are hidden and all you will see is the frog's green dorsum. When awoken these colors are exposed. So, it is thought that its bright colors are used to flash and startle predators just long enough for the frog to make its escape.

At night during the rainy season, which lasts from late May to December, males call from vegetation that is 1-3 meters off of the ground. This vegetation is found near or around quiet bodies of water such as flooded pastures, roadside ditches, and forest ponds. They also may occasionally call from a height of 5 meters or more. The call itself is a "cluck" or "chock" which may be either a single or a double note. Choruses of several hundred males are known to occur. When not breeding they can be found in trees at a height of 10 meters or higher. During the day, this extremely nocturnal frog can be found plastered against the surface of a leaf, with which it blends so well that is becomes almost invisible to the observer.

Reproduction occurs with the onset of the rainy season. As mentioned above, males will call from vegetation located near standing water, thus attracting the larger females. Once the female has been attracted, the male will engage her in amplexus, grasping her at the armpits with his forelimbs. Carrying him on her back, she will make her way down to the water, drawing it into her bladder. Without doing this her eggs, once laid, are likely dry out. She will then climb back up into the tree or bush and pick a leaf or branch above water to which to attach her eggs. The male fertilizes the eggs as the female lays them. The pale green eggs will be in a jelly mass for the next 5 to 9 days before hatching. Once hatched, the tadpoles will drop to the pool of water below and continue their development there. Occasionally eggs are laid above the ground. Tadpoles from these egg masses are forced to use their tails for limited movement on land if they are to make it into a pool of water. Groups of tadpoles will sometimes gather at the surface of the water at a 45° angle with their heads towards the surface, usually in a sun lit part of the pond or pool. Metamorphosis into froglets can take from 7 to 9 weeks.

As with most frogs, red-eyes are insectivores, and in my experience seem to be more attracted to fast moving insects, ignoring prey items like caterpillars that are slow. I have read that they are known to prey upon smaller frogs, but I cannot find any other literature to back up this claim.. They are in turn are preyed upon by bats, birds, and snakes. Cat snakes of the genus Leptodeira are known predators of the eggs of the red-eyed leaf frog.

Housing

I have had a long history with Agalychnis callidryas, and it hasn't always been very good. I have made my share of mistakes. I think the biggest mistake I have made was improper housing; rubbermaid boxes are not good homes for most treefrogs and I found this out the hard way. They may be good homes for salamanders and snakes, but not for arboreal frogs. In these types of enclosures red-eyes have a tendency to wither away over time and die. The proper caging for these types of frogs is an enclosure with good ventilation. A glass aquarium with a screen top works well, as do plastic "critter keepers," and mesh cages.

Agalychnis callidryas, Red-Eyed Leaf Frog (Photo: Tammy Raabe Rao/rubicat.com)

I have used 10 gallon (38 L) aquariums for 2 to 3 adult frogs, and various sizes of "critter keepers" for juvenile frogs. Due to the arboreal nature of these frogs, the taller the enclosure the better, and I have used an extra high 20 gallon (76 L) aquarium as a breeding/rain chamber with great success.

Of course with an "open-air" enclosure, humidity might seem somewhat tricky to maintain, but it can be done with a daily misting. I usually do this at night just before going to bed. I use distilled water, as it leaves no mineral deposits on the walls of my enclosures.

The main source of water for my frogs is a dog or cat bowl. I use these because they are much cheaper than the bowls that are sold in the reptile section of pet stores. The frogs are able to easily climb in and out of these bowls, however their food is not usually able to at all. Crickets drown very easily, so I make a "cricket ladder" out of needlepoint mesh that I cut into strips. So, if a cricket does jump into a bowl, it usually can climb back out using the "cricket ladder." Always keep the water bowl clean! If it becomes soiled, change it immediately. Dechlorinated or spring water is advised for all amphibians, especially for tadpoles. Only use distilled water for misting, as it is devoid of minerals and therefore unsuitable for your frogs as their primary water source.

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©2009 Kurt Kunze

Written by Kurt Kunze, April 2009

About the Author: Kurt Kunze is a self educated herpetologist and a member of the New England Herpetological Society based in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, USA. He has been a herpetologist for the past ten years or so, before that he was a professional aquarist, working with everything from guppies and goldfish to sharks and octopus. He has worked for the Museum of Science in Boston in their Live Animal Center and for the Museum of Natural History of Harvard University as a gallery guide. At the MoS, he worked with various reptiles and amphibian species, including alligators, snakes, lizards, turtles, and frogs. At Harvard, he did live animal demonstrations and educated visitors in paleontology, particularly on Mesozoic reptiles. His husbandry skills were refined by working at the MoS, as well as with the late Barbara Bonner DVM at her Turtle Hospital. Kurt has also co-authored the questionnaire for Assumption College's Science Olympiad on herpetology for the past two years. Kurt makes his home in Billerica, Massachusetts, USA, along with his small "zoo", which includes various scorpions, fish, salamanders, turtles, snakes, and of course, frogs. His interests center on the Hylids, Dendrobatids, Bufonids, & Microhylids. Kurt has bred the Red-Eyed Leaf Frog, Agalychnis callidryas, and has plans to breed the Red-Banded Rubber Frog, Phrynomantis bifasciatus, the False or Southern Tomato Frog, Dyscophus guineti, and the Fire-Bellied Toad, Bombina orientalis.