Comparisons of the types of the nominal species with series of specimens from Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador, and Perú suggest strongly that the types are representative of one taxon, the oldest name for which is Hyla buckleyi Boulenger, 1882. Consequently, we place Hyla festae Peracca, 1904, Hyla carri Cochran and Goin, 1970, and Hyla cabrerai Cochran and Goin, 1970, as junior synonyms of Hyla buckleyi Boulenger, 1882.
Diagnosis.—1) Size moderate, sexual dimorphism extreme; maximum observed snout-vent length in males 48.1 mm, in females 75.1 mm; 2) skin on dorsum in males bearing a mixture of large and small non-spinous tubercles; 3) skin on flanks, especially anteriorly, areolate; 4) web usually extending only to base of antepenultimate phalange on inner edge of third finger; 5) dorsum pale tan or green with irregular, longitudinal, dark brown blotches, usually narrowly outlined with cream; 6) venter cream or tan, suffused with brown or marked with brown spots in some specimens; 7) lips marked with vertical brown and cream bars; 8) flanks creamy tan with irregular brown spots and/or diagonal marks; 9) dermal roofing bones of skull lacking exostosis; 10) dermal sphenethmoid absent; 11) nasals widely separated medially; 12) anteromedial margin of frontoparietal at mid-level of orbit; 13) frontoparietal fontanelle partially exposed; 14) palatine serrate; 15) parasphenoid bearing odontoids; 16) zygomatic ramus of squamosal extending approximately one-half of distance to maxillary arch; 17) transverse processes of third presacral vertebra narrower than sacral diapophyses; transverse processes of presacral vertebrae 3-8 subequal in width and narrower in males than in females; 18) intermandibularis and submentalis muscles independent; 19) supramandibular portion of interhyoideus extensively developed; associated skin forming broad loose fold.
Osteocephalus buckleyi can be distinguished readily from all other species in the genus by the presence of areolate skin anteriorly on the flanks and by the rather boldly contrasting dorsal pattern. Furthermore, females are distinctive in having tubercles on the eyelids and supratympanic folds.
Distribution.—The periphery of the Amazon Basin, in the Guianas and Territorio do Amapá in northeastern Brasil; the upper Amazon Basin from southern Colombia to east-central Bolivia; one locality (Acevedo) in upper Río Magdalena drainage in Colombia ([Fig. 8]). All localities are at elevations of less than 700 m. Records for Pallatanga and Santiago in Provincia Chimborazo, Ecuador (high on the Pacific slopes of the Andes), are considered to be erroneous. 78 specimens from 40 localities.
Fig. 8. Distribution of Osteocephalus buckleyi (circles) and O. pearsoni (triangles).
Remarks.—In life the dorsum is green with dark markings. A male (KU 123171) from Santa Cecilia, Ecuador, was: "Dorsum green with dark brown blotches. Anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs dull blue. Venter brown, flecked with white. Iris greenish bronze with brown horizontal triangles and ventromedian brown line." (W. E. Duellman, field notes, 16 June 1968.) A female (KU 126646) from Lago Agrio, Ecuador, was: "Dorsum pale green with darker green blotches and creamy yellow middorsal stripe. Lateral blotches bronze-tan. Flanks tan with black blotches. Anterior surfaces of thighs dark brown. Dorsal and posterior surfaces of thighs and shanks tan with dark brown blotches. Webbing brown. Suborbital spot green. Postorbital bar black. Belly grayish brown in appearance—tips of granules white; intergranular spaces brown. Iris golden bronze with black flecks peripherally and median, horizontal, reddish brown streak." (W. E. Duellman, field notes, 12 May 1969.)
No ontogenetic change in coloration has been noted.