Common Name: Orinoco Lime Tree Frog, Ghost Frog, Greater Hatchet-Faced Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Sphaenorhynchus lacteus
Family: Hylidae – Tree Frog family
Location: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela
Female Size: 1.5 – 1.8 inches (38.4 – 45.7 mm)
Male Size: 1.0 – 1.6 inches (25.5 – 41.5Â mm)
The Orinoco Lime Tree Frog lives in the Orinoco basin, Amazon basin, Guianas, and the flooded lowlands of Maranhão, Brazil. They are found on vegetation overhanging water bodies. Their translucent skin helps them hide against the leaves.
The male frogs call from floating vegetation in the water to attract the female frogs. Once the female arrives, the male grasps the female frog behind in amplexus. Then, the female frog lays her eggs and the male frog fertilizes them. The female frog lays around 60 eggs. Neither parent provides any parental care for their offspring.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Orinoco Lime Tree Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. The frog has a wide range and a presumed large population. In some areas, clear cutting of the forests has lead declines in the frog’s numbers. However, overall the frogs seem to be ok.