Urubamba Spiny-backed Frog

About the Urubamba Spiny-backed Frog

Osteocephalus helenae is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is widely distributed in the Amazon Basin and is known from the lowlands of Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and French Guiana. The specific name helenae honors Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige, an American herpetologist. Common name Helena's [sic] treefrog has been proposed for it.

Osteocephalus helenae was described in 1919 by Alexander Grant Ruthven as Hyla helenae based on three recently metamorphosed specimens. The relationships of this species were unclear and it was considered incertae sedis within Hyla, until Jungfer and colleagues concluded in 2013 that Ruthven's Hyla helenae is the same species as Osteocephalus germani described by Ron and colleagues in 2012 and that the correct name for this taxon is Osteocephalus helenae.

Based on the type series of Osteocephalus germani, adult males measure about 41 mm (1.6 in) and adult females about 49–51 mm (1.9–2.0 in) in snout–vent length. The snout is truncate but may sometimes be rounded in females. The tympanum is visible but partly concealed dorsally. The fingers and the toes bear large discs and are webbed, the... Wikipedia →