Nine recently metamorphosed young were found on vegetation at the edges of streams in April. These specimens have snout-vent lengths of 13.1 to 15.7 mm. (14.9 mm.) and in life were pale greenish tan or olive-tan above and white below. The hands, feet, and thighs were pale yellowish tan.
Remarks.—The foregoing synonymies indicate that confusion has existed in the application of various names, to this species, as well as in use of the names sordida and gabbi to include the species that we describe and name Smilisca sila. Correct allocation of the names involved was possible only after studying and comparing the type specimens, for the descriptions given by the various authors are not sufficiently explicit to determine the nature of many essential features.
The presence of a rounded snout and a long white throat in males distinguishes S. sordida from S. sila, which has a high truncate snout and short dark throat in males. The two syntypes of Hyla sordida Peters, 1863, (ZMB 3141) are males having snout-vent lengths of 36.9 and 37.0 mm. The two syntypes of Hyla gabbi Cope, 1876 (USNM 30658-9), are females having snout-vent lengths of 52.8 and 53.7 mm., respectively. Also included in the collections made by Gabb is eastern Costa Rica are two males (USNM 30685-6), which Cope (1876) named and described as Hyla nigripes. These specimens are soft and faded, but are recognizable as the same as Hyla sordida Peters; the syntypes of Hyla nigripes have snout-vent lengths of 37.6 and 37.7 mm. We have examined one of the syntypes of Hyla salvini Boulenger, 1882 (BMNH 1947.2.24.13), a female having a snout-vent length of 54.6 mm. We are convinced that all of these type specimens are representatives of one species, the earliest name for which is Hyla sordida Peters, 1863. The type localities for three of the named species are in Costa Rica—H. gabbi from Sipurio on the Caribbean lowlands, H. nigripes from the Caribbean slopes of Pico Blanco, and H. salvini from Cartago on the Meseta Central. The type locality of H. sordida was given as "Veraguas" by Peters (1863). At that time Veraguas was often considered to be most of western Panamá. Though we have not seen Panamanian specimens other than the types of S. sordida and one specimen from the Pacific lowlands of western Panamá, the species probably occurs on the Caribbean slopes of western Panamá. The species has been taken on the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica within a few kilometers of Panamá; collecting on the Caribbean slopes in the provinces of Bocas del Toro and Veraguas should reveal the presence of Smilisca sordida there.
Distribution.—Smilisca sordida is found along the Pacific slopes and lowlands from Guanacaste, Costa Rica, southeastward to extreme western Panamá, to elevations of about 1200 meters on the Meseta Central in Costa Rica, and on the Caribbean slopes and lowlands of Costa Rica and probably adjacent Panamá (Fig. 5). One specimen purportedly comes from "Río Grande, Nicaragua."
Fig. 5. Map showing locality records for Smilisca sordida.
Specimens examined.—412, as follows: Nicaragua: "Río Grande" (? Depto. Zelaya), MCZ 2634.
Costa Rica: Alajuela: Between Atena and Salto de San Mateo, USC 6185; 8 km. N Ciudad Quesada, USC 7155 (4); La Fortuna, USC 7153 (20); 3 km. E La Fortuna, USC 7150; San Carlos, USNM 29969; Sarchi, KU 32990-9, 36792-3.