Phyllomedusa sauvagii Boulenger, 1882

Taxonomy and Common Names

Phyllomedusa sauvagii, commonly known as the waxy monkey leaf frog or waxy monkey tree frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae.

Geographic Range

It is native to South America, where it occurs in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil.

Habitat

This species is arboreal, and lives in the vegetation of the Gran Chaco.

Breeding Season Timing

The waxy monkey leaf frog breeds during the rainy season, which typically lasts from October until March.

Mating Occurrence Conditions

Mating does not happen continuously throughout this season, and only occurs during or shortly after periods of heavy rainfall.

Male Mating Behavior

Males find a shrub or tree near or in a body of water, where they begin to vocalize to attract females.

Mating System

This species is an amplectant mater, meaning breeding pairs create their egg nest together.

Oviposition Process

The pair moves toward their oviposition site, usually on a leaf overhanging a body of water, where the male assists the female in laying her eggs while fertilizing them at the same time.

Oviposition Site Importance

The choice of oviposition site is critical to the reproductive success of waxy monkey leaf frogs.

Egg Desiccation Risk

Their eggs are highly permeable to water and will desiccate if laid in nesting sites that are too arid or exposed to the sun.

Oviposition Site Requirements

The nest must also be on a leaf on a branch suspended over fresh water, so hatching tadpoles can drop into the water below.

Oviposition Site Selection Preferences

Waxy monkey leaf frogs non-randomly select sites, favoring larger leaves and locations that overhang standing water.

Egg Protection Adaptations

To prevent egg desiccation, females lay empty gelatinous capsules that surround the fertile eggs.

Gelatinous Capsule Functions

These capsules provide extra fluid for embryo development and help keep the eggs from drying out.

Additional Capsule Properties

They also have adherent properties that help breeding pairs wrap their nests in the leaf the eggs are laid on.

Nest Construction Behavior

Waxy monkey leaf frogs may also use more than one leaf to effectively wrap their clutch of eggs.

Egg Characteristics

Compared to most anurans, the eggs of this species are large and yolk-heavy.

Embryo Development Period

Embryo development usually lasts between six and nine days, after which embryos hatch spontaneously and drop into the water.

Hatchling Tadpole Morphology

Upon hatching, tadpoles have relatively large external gills, an oral disc with multiple lines of keratinized teeth, and a tail that makes up about two thirds of their total body length.

Hatchling Size

Waxy monkey leaf frog embryos may exceed twenty millimeters in length when they hatch.