| Species ID | 020420 |
| Name | Yucatan casque-headed treefrog |
| Other Common Names | |
| Category | 02 Amphibians |
| Phylum | |
| Subphylum | |
| Class | Amphibia |
| Subclass | |
| Suborder | |
| Family | Hylidae |
| Genus | Triprion |
| Species | petasatus |
| Subspecies | |
| References | 2 |
| Scientific Synonyms | Pharyngodon petasatus, Cope, 1865 |
| DISTRICT | References |
| Cayo, Belize | 1 |
| Corozal, Belize | 1 |
| Orange Walk, Belize | 1 |
| Administrative Unit | Occurrence | Abundance | Temporal | References |
| Shipstern Nature Reserve | Photographed | Unknown, insufficient data | June | 3 |
| Government land | 1 | |||
| Shipstern Nature Reserve | 1 | |||
| Rio Bravo Conservation Area | 1 |
| ELEVATION Association | References |
| 1-200 m | 3 |
| QUAD Distribution | References |
| 18 00' to 18 15'; 88 00' to 88 15' | 3 |
| 18 15' to 18 30'; 88 15' to 88 30' | 1 |
| 17 00' to 17 15'; 88 45' to 89 00' | 1 |
| 18 15' to 18 30'; 88 00' to 88 15' | 1 |
| 18 00' to 18 15'; 88 30' to 88 45' | 1 |
| 18 00' to 18 15'; 88 15' to 88 30' | 1 |
| 17 45' to 18 00'; 89 00' to 89 15' | 1 |
| Holdridge Life Zone Distribution | References |
| Subtropical moist | 3 |
Comments on Distribution
3* Miller, C.M. (1988). Natural history voucher photograph collection, Shipstern Nature Reserve.
| Pictures | |
|
Comments on General Food Habits
2* These frogs feed on a variety of invertebrates, and large females will eat other species of small frogs.
| References/Lifestage | Reference Numbers |
| General | 2 |
| References/Lifestage | Reference Numbers |
Life History Narrative
These curious frogs generally inhabit seasonally dry forests and savannas. They are particularly abundant in the arid northwest portion of the peninsula, where the ducklike quacking of the males can be heard in the henequen fields and thorn forests on any rainy summer night. Males call from shrubs and small trees and from the edges of temporary bodies of water. Often several males chorus from small limestone solution pits no more than 10 or 15 cm in diameter. Females approaching the water are intercepted by males and clasped, often well before they reach the water. J. C. Lee and Crump (1980) documented male-male competition for females and a pattern of size-assortative mating in this species. Amplexus is axillary, and the eggs are deposited in the water, where the tadpoles complete their development. Triprion is nocturnal, and its aboveground activity is restricted to the rainy season. During the day these frogs seek refuge in the recesses of tree trunks and in rock crevices. Stuart (1935:37) reported that at La Libertad, El Pet‚n, individuals could be found during the day in holes in trees surrounding an aguada. The frogs plugged the openings with their heads and were nearly impossible to extract. This behavior, termed phragmosis, probably helps prevent desiccation. A reduction in cutaneous water loss across the co-ossified skull relative to other surfaces of the body has been demonstrated for certain other frogs with co-ossified skulls (Seibert et al., 1974). These frogs feed on a variety of invertebrates, and large females will eat other species of small frogs.
Life History References
2
| References/Result | Reference Numbers |
1 Meerman, J., 1994. Summary of Herpetofauna Distributions in Belize. Report to National Protected Areas Management Project. 2 Lee, Julian C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatan Peninsula. Comstock Publishing Associates. Ithaca, New York. 3 Miller, C.M. 1988. Natural history voucher photograph collection.