260 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 288 



light stripes that continue from the eye posteriorly to behind the 

 shoulders, but posterior to this the light of the dorsolateral stripe 

 merges ventrally with the ventral ground color and thus the dorso- 

 lateral stripe becomes obsolete. In the same specimen the top of the 

 head from the nostrils to between the eyes is nearly as pale as the 

 dorsolateral light stripes. There are faint little pencil-like dark flecks 

 in the dark dorsal ground color, but there is no discernible pattern. 

 Likewise, the dorsal surfaces of the limbs are without distinct pattern, 

 although their ground color is lighter than the ground color of the 

 dorsum. The other large female lacks the distinct dorsolateral light 

 stripes, although a hint of a paler postocular light stripe can be seen. 

 In this specimen the dorsal surfaces of both the front and hind limbs 

 have scattered dark flecks, as if the individual had been sprinkled 

 with black pepper. 



Ventrally the pattern of these two females is quite striking. The 

 entire undersurface of the chin, throat, chest, and belly is heavily 

 and coarsely vermiculated with a black and white pattern. In both 

 specimens the undersurfaces of the thighs are darkened but not par- 

 ticularly vermiculated; and, in both, on the anterior face of the thigh 

 is a pale, unpigmented band between the dorsal pigmented surface 

 and the ventral pigmented surface, thus leaving a clear longitudinal 

 stripe on the anteroventral surface of the thigh. 



A male collected with the above two females has the dorsal pattern 

 very similar to theirs, but with the postocular light stripes even paler 

 than in either of them. In this male the entire undersurfaces, including 

 those of the thighs, are immaculate. 



Color in life. — In life the portion of the ventral surface which is 

 pale in the preserved females was bright orange and the dorsal surface 

 was dark, muddy brown, whereas the male was light orange-brown 

 dorsally and immaculate below with just a tinge of orange-yellow 

 on the ventral surfaces. 



Remarks. — In addition to sexual differences in pattern, there is a 

 noticeable difference in size, the females being much larger. This is 

 shown in the following measurements, in millimeters, of the three 

 fresh specimens described above. 



Specimen Head-body Thigh Shank 



USN M151984 (<?) 21.1 9.7 10.9 



UV 236 ( 9 ) 29. 6 14. 5 15. 8 



USNM 151983 (?) 29.8 13.7 14.8 



Hyla variabilis can be found breeding throughout the Cali savanna. 

 Where water collects in low places in the savanna, making shallow 

 ponds, and in the heavy vegetation in the drainage ditches along the 



