Lemur Leaf Frog For sale

It is classed as Critically Endangered and threatened by the fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

Agalychnis lemur, the lemur leaf frog for sale or lemur frog, is a species of frog in the subfamily Phyllomedusinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, and adjacent northwestern Colombia. It is classed as Critically Endangered and threatened by the fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

The lemur leaf frog lives in tropical mid-elevation pre-montane rainforest between 440 and 1600 metres ASL. Costa Rica is currently host to three sites in which this species resides. They are Fila Asuncion (an abandoned farm 15 km southwest of Limón); a forested area near Parque National Barbilla; and Guayacán in Limón Province. Of these three locations Fila Asuncion is the only one known to have a large breeding population.

During the day the lemur leaf frog is a vibrant green but changes to brown at night. This characteristic enhances its ability to camouflage in the day and hunt at night. The lemur leaf frog is a slender species. It has no inter-digital webbing on the front or hind feet. In the past its lack of webbing suggested it belonged in the genus Phyllomedusa.

However, recent analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences has shown the species was found to genetically closer to species of the genus Agalychnis to which it now belongs  This species also displays sexual dimorphism, with the females being larger than males.

Adult females range approximately from 40–45 mm in length by 15–20 mm in width across the abdomen in resting position, while males range from approximately 30–35 mm in length by 10–15 mm in width across the abdomen. Females on average weigh roughly 4 grams, with males weighing only about 2 grams.

Lemur leaf frogs are mainly nocturnal, resting on the undersides of leaves during the day.

Details of the specific diet of lemur leaf frogs have not been reported but is primarily a wide variety of insects.

The lemur leaf frog participates in “prolonged breeding” that takes place continuously during the rainy seasons, primarily observed during spring or summer. These species engage in ritual calling. The male lemur frog intones a series of clicks to call to the female.

Lemur leaf frogs produce up to 20 eggs at a time. They are usually deposited under resting leaves overhanging a water supply. These eggs are bluish-green or grey encased in the typical jelly mass. The lemur leaf frog lays eggs terrestrially, on vegetation or roots overhanging the water. When the eggs hatch the tadpoles drop into the small pools of water below. Depending on the temperature, food, and water supply tadpoles will usually drop into the water at around 7 days and the metamorphosis, 90–150 days.

The tadpoles can prematurely hatch when there is danger that they could be eaten by predators. Vibrations from predators or from rain causes the tadpoles to hatch prematurely, in order to escape attack or so they can be washed into water below.

Preserved tadpoles are bluish-gray with an opaque body while the dorsal and ventral fins are transparent. However, in life their overall color is greenish gray with a white abdomen. Tadpoles in earlier stages are smaller, slender, and less pigmented, and some even show an evident dark stripe between the eyes and nostrils.

Although the lemur leaf frog was once considered a common species in Costa Rica it has declined. With more than an 80% decrease in population in a period of 10 years it is now closely being monitored in Panama where it is still abundant in the lower elevations of central and eastern parts of the country. However, there have been no further reports on the populations of these lemur frogs endemic to Columbia.

Due to their marked drop in population these species of lemurs has been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2004. Related causes that may be linked to the disappearance of these frogs are chytridiomycosis (a disease affecting only amphibians contacting with zoospores of the Chytrid fungus) and general loss of habitat from deforestation.