Santa Fe Frog

Gran Chaco of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.

Adult morphology Snout-vent up to 115-120 mm in large specimens. No difference in size between males and females. Head broad and stout, wider than large, obtusely rounded. Snout short and slightly truncate in profiIe. Nostrils closer to the tip of snout than to the eye; internarial interval equal to the interocular distance and to the upper eyelid. Canthus rostralis round; loreal region sloping to meet the upper lip, very thick and prominent in this species. Eyes prominent; their diameter equal to their distance from nostrils. Maxillary teeth strong; vomerine teeth in two exceedingly heavy, nearly contiguous patches, between and behind the choanae. Tongue wide, cordiform, notched and free behind. Tympanurn round very distinct, almost equal to the eye diameter. A curved dermal foId from the posterior corner of the eye to the axilla. Fingers fringed, rounded, gently dilated on the tip. Rate of the finger lengths: II-IV-I-III. Subarticular tubercles blunt and prominent. Strong, ova1 metacarpal tubercles. Toes unwebbed but distinctly fringed; inner metatarsal tubercle small, oval-shaped and blunt: a very faint outer metatarsal tubercle and a weak, smooth tarsal fold. A prominen spur is located outside in the first finger, ending in a black sharply pointed thorn in males. Another black thorn projects at the baw of the inner metacarpal tubercle. Besides these secondary sex chalacters the males have bilateral black thorny patches on the chest, When hindleg is adpressed, heel reaches the tympanum; when the femurs are bent at right angles to body, the tibio-tarsal articulations touch. Skin smooth and porous, dorsally scattered with many flat glandular patches. Belly smooth; the lower posterior surface of thighs closely granular. Color in life: Whitish or yellowish on the back, scattered with rounded symmetrical red spots, dark-edged and brilliant. Dark brown transverse bands on forelegs and hindlegs, speckled with red. Belly whitish, allmost immaculate, except in a number of faintIy brown spots on throat and chest.

NT. Near Threatened.