Frog of the Week

Túngara Frog (Engystomops pustulosus)

photo by Brian Gratwicke

leastconcern
Common Name: Túngara Frog
Scientific Name: Engystomops pustulosus
Family: Leptodactylidae
Location: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago,  and Venezuela
Size: 1.4 inches or 35 mm

The Túngara Frog is found throughout all of Central America down to South America. The frog is often studied because of their complex mate selection. Females don’t always select the “best” mate choice. You can read more in this article.

Túngara Frogs breed year round in whatever body of water they can find. Males call to the females while floating in these bodies of water. Once the female selects a mate, they move close to shore and make a lay their eggs in a foam nest that they make. These foam nests help protect the eggs from drying out.

 

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