Target Species: Splendid leaf frog, Agalychnis calcarifer
Location: Liverpool, Manzanillo & La Selva, Costa Rica
Director: Roger Finnigan
Location: Costa Rica is a small, environmentally aware, Central American country between Nicaragua and Panama.
Some dart-poison frogs are know to be possess highly toxic skin secretions but when they are kept in captivity their toxicity quickly diminishes until they are completely non-toxic. What is more, their captive bred young never develop toxic skin secretions. Toxinologists and bio-medical researchers are interested in skin secretions with an eye to the production of new, potentially live-saving drugs. Dart-poison frogs are believed to obtain their toxic skin secretions from a varied diet of rainforest floor invertebrates, but since this diet is impossible to duplicate in captivity captive dart-poison frogs quickly become non-toxic and are of little value for research. What is needed is a frog that possesses toxic skin secretions, of a genetic rather than dietary origin, that will not diminish in potency under captive conditions. Some neotropical treefrogs fit this pattern and treefrog expert Andrew Gray has for some years been involved in a captive breeding programs to study skin secretions and conserve frog species which are becoming increasing endangered in the wild. Mark joins Andrew and his fieldworker Miguel on a quest to find one of the largest and most threatened of these frogs, the Splendid leaf frog. Being a snakeman Mark is still on the look-out for venomous reptiles and he meets one of Latin America’s most unusual mammals, the three-toed sloth.
A close view of a Splendid leaf frog (Agalychnis calcarifer), the “Jewel of the Jungle”.
| BUFONIDAE |
TRUE TOADS |
| Bufo marinus |
Marine toad |
| CENTRONELIDAE |
GLASS FROGS |
| Hyalinobatrachium colymbiphyllum |
Plantation glass frog |
| DENDROBATIDAE |
DART-POISON FROGS |
| Colostethus talamancae |
Talamanca rocket frog |
| Dendrobates auratus |
Black and green dart-poison frog |
| Dendrobates pumilio |
Strawberry dart-poison frog |
| Phyllobates lugubris |
Lovely dart-poison frog |
| HYLIDAE |
TREEFROGS |
| Agalychnis callidryas |
Red-eyed leaf-frog |
| Agalychnis spurrelli |
Spurrell’s leaf-frog |
| Hyla ebraccata |
Painted treefrog |
| Phyllomedusa lemur |
Lemur leaf frog |
| Smilisca phaota |
Masked treefrog |
| LEPTODACTYLIDAE |
SOUTHERN FROGS |
| Eleutherodactylus biporcatus |
Veragua robber frog |
| Eleutherodactylus sp. A (Costa Rica) |
(unidentified robber frog) |
| Leptodactylus pentadactylus |
Smokey jungle frog |
| Leptodactylus sp. A (Costa Rica) |
(unidentified bullfrog) |
| RANIDAE |
TRUE FROGS |
| Rana vaillanti |
Vaillant’s frog |
| EMYDIDAE |
POND TERRAPINS & BOX TURTLES |
| Trachemys scripta nebulosus |
Baja California slider |
| KINOSTERNIDAE |
MUD & MUSK TURTLES |
| Kinosternon scorpioides |
Scorpion mud turtle |
| ALLIGATORIDAE |
ALLIGATORS & CAIMAN |
| Caiman crocodilus fuscus |
Brown caiman |
| CORYTOPHANIDAE |
BASILISKS & HELMETED LIZARDS |
| Basiliscus plumifrons |
Plumed basilisk |
| Basiliscus vittatus |
Common brown basilisk |
| Corytophanes cristatus |
Helmeted lizard |
| GEKKONIDAE |
GECKOES |
| Gonatodes albogularis |
Yellow-headed gecko |
| Hemidactylus frenatus |
Common house gecko |
| Sphaerodactylus graptolaemus |
Painted-throated least gecko |
| Thecadactylus rapicauda |
Turnip-tailed gecko |
| IGUANIDAE |
IGUANAS |
| Iguana iguana rhinolopha |
Central American green iguana |
| POLYCROTIDAE |
ANOLES |
| Norops humilis |
Humble anole |
| Norops limifrons |
Border anole |
| Norops sp. A (Costa Rica) |
(unidentified anole) |
| Norops sp. B (Costa Rica) |
(unidentified anole) |
| Norops sp. C (Costa Rica) |
(unidentified anole) |
| Polychrus gutturosus |
Throaty bush anole |
| TEIIDAE |
MACROTEIIDS |
| Ameiva festiva |
Festive ameiva |
| COLUBRIDAE |
TYPICAL SNAKES |
| Chironius grandisquamis |
Large-scaled black treesnake |
| Dendrophidion percarinatus |
Central American forest racer |
| Imantodes inornatus |
Brown blunt-headed treesnake |
| Oxybelis aeneus |
Brown vinesnake |
| Oxybelis brevirostris |
Green vinesnake |
| Sibon annulata |
Annulated slug-eater |
| Sibon longifrenis |
Green-spotted slug eater |
| Sibon nebulata |
Clouded slug-eater |
| ELAPIDAE |
CORALSNAKES & THEIR KIN |
| Micrurus alleni |
Allen’s coralsnake |
| VIPERIDAE |
VIPERS & PITVIPERS |
| Bothriechis schlegelii |
Eyelash viper |
| Bothrops asper |
Terciopelo |
