Hyla loquax Gaige and Stuart
Oaxaca: Donají (7); 43 km. N of Matías Romero (21). Veracruz: 19 km. N of Acayucan (4); Aquilera (3); 8 km. SW of Coatzacoalcos (36); Cuototolapam (11); Naranja (13); San Lorenzo (8).
In the isthmus this species is known only from the humid forests of the Gulf lowlands; it is also known from Boca del Río, Veracruz, and from Teapa and Villa Hermosa, Tabasco.
Calling males were found on aquatic plants above the water in deep ponds in the forest where it was necessary for the collector to wade waist-deep in water to obtain them. The call is a loud "hah-onk." Individuals, when active at night, are yellowish tan above with light olive green spots. The flanks, belly, and vocal sac are yellow, and the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs and webbing of the feet are bright orange-red or tomato red. Individuals found during the day are grayish brown with olive markings or reddish brown with black markings. Sleeping individuals are ivory-gray with faint gray markings. The iris is a bright copper color. Fifteen adult males have an average snout-vent length of 41.7 mm.; they have no horny nuptial pads on the pollex.
The relationships of this species are with Hyla rickardsi Taylor, a species known only from the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the states of Puebla and Veracruz. The distinguishing characteristics of these species are given in Table 1. Living individuals may be distinguished immediately by the flash colors on the thighs—red in loquax and yellow in rickardsi. The calls of the two species are distinctly different; that of rickardsi is a high-pitched, loud rattle continued for several seconds, notably different from the goose-like honk of loquax.
Table 1.—Comparison of Certain Characters in Hyla loquax and Hyla rickardsi
| Character | loquax | rickardsi |
|---|---|---|
| Toe webbing | Full | Three-fourths |
| Finger webbing | Three-fourths | One-half |
| Average snout-vent length (♂) | 41.7 mm. | 37.4 mm. |
| Tympanum/eye (♂) | 63.2% | 55.8% |
| Dorsal leg pattern | Barred | Unmarked |
| Tarsal fold | Tubercular | Absent |
| Tarsal stripe | Absent or indistinct | Broad, indistinct, or absent |
| Dorsolateral stripe | Absent | Present |
| Light line over anus | Broad | Narrow |
| Flash colors | Red | Yellow |
| Iris color | Copper | Bronze |
The three specimens from San Lorenzo, Veracruz (USNM 123513-5), were identified as Hyla rickardsi by Smith (1947:409). The flash colors have faded in preservative, and so are of no aid in identifying these specimens. Two are adult females with snout-vent lengths of 35 and 39 mm. In possessing a relatively large tympanum and barred thighs, and in lacking a dorsolateral stripe they are typical of loquax, but in the amount of webbing on the hands and feet, broad tarsal stripe, and narrow anal stripe they are like rickardsi. The third specimen, a juvenile, has a snout-vent length of 25 mm. In coloration it resembles the adults; it has more distinct bars on the limbs. On the basis of geography these specimens should be loquax, for the closest known record of rickardsi is more than 200 kilometers to the northwest, whereas loquax is known from several localities around San Lorenzo.
Shannon and Werler (1955:383) described Hyla axillamembrana from the lower southern slopes of Los Tuxtlas. The unique type is a small male (27 mm. snout-vent). I have examined the type and find no great differences between it and small specimens of loquax. It is not possible to determine the color of the thighs, nor was this information given in the description. Hyla axillamembrana is here considered to be a synonym of Hyla loquax.
Hyla microcephala martini Smith