Convict Tree Frog

About the Convict Tree Frog

Troschel's treefrog (Boana calcarata), also known as the blue-flanked treefrog or the convict treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is found in most parts of the Amazon Basin including Suriname. Colombian, Guianan and Venezuelan records need confirmation.

This species was originally described by Franz Hermann Troschel as Hyla calcarata in 1848. After Edward Drinker Cope transferred it to the genus Hypsiboas as Hypsiboas calcaratus in 1867, it was variously recognized with either name until Faivovich and colleagues validated Hypsiboas in 2005. However, in 2017 Alain Dubois showed that Hypsiboas was a junior synonym of Boana, the latter then being the valid name. Many sources, however, still use the old name.

Adult males measure 28–43 mm (1.1–1.7 in) and adult females 46–56 mm (1.8–2.2 in) in snout–vent length. The fingers have only basal webbing while the toes are webbed. Males have pre-pollical spines. The dorsal coloration varies from light brown to reddish brown or brown. There is a dark brown middorsal line, and some specimens have brown diffuse transversal bands. The limbs bear pale brown transversal bars dorsally. Scattered minute... Wikipedia →