Santa Cecilia Rocket Frog

About the Santa Cecilia Rocket Frog

Hyloxalus sauli is a species of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae. It is found on the eastern Andean slopes in Putumayo, Colombia, and in Sucumbíos, Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza Provinces, Ecuador. It is named after William Saul from the University of Kansas Natural History Museum.

Males measure 20–25 mm (0.79–0.98 in) and females 22–29 mm (0.87–1.14 in) in snout–vent length. Dorsum and flanks are coffee-coloured; dorsum has three large blotches. There is a complete, pale oblique lateral stripe. Most individuals also have a ventrolateral stripe that is complete, diffuse, or interrupted. There is some sexual dimorphism in ventral coloration.

Male call is a series of two or three quickly repeated peeps. Males and females form pairs and defend territories that can be stable over several months. These are defined by deep burrows used as shelter. Fecundity of females is 6–11 oocytes (based on three females), whereas males have been recorded carrying clutches of 9–13 tadpoles.

The tadpoles are clear-brown in color with other brown marks and a black mark on the tail. Hyloxalus sauli occurs in primary and secondary forests at... Wikipedia →