User:Roosterchair/Phyllomedusa sauvagii

Thermoregulation
P. sauvagii can tolerate a wide range of body temperatures between about 20 and 40°C (68-104°F). They have shown to be able modulate their body temperature through control of evaporative water loss. P. sauvagii is known as a waterproof frog, meaning that it exhibits significant ability to resist cutaneous evaporative water loss compared with non-waterproof amphibians. The skin of P. sauvagii is embedded with glands which produce a lipid barrier that significantly reduces its permeability to water. This method of retaining water is so effective that their rate of evaporative water loss is only about 5-10% of that of other anurans and comparable to that of lizards. If disturbed, frogs will engage in wiping behavior, possibly as a grooming mechanism or to ensure their bodies are appropriately coated in secretions. P. sauvagii is nocturnal, and spends most of the day resting on a perch. When perched, the frogs may enter a state of torpor which may help reduce respiratory evaporative water loss. The upper limit of their body temperature is about 40°C, which is higher than most frogs can tolerate. This is advantageous in that the frog does not need to expend water for thermoregulation unless ambient temperatures exceed this limit. P. sauvagii is able to endure temperatures as low as 20°C, and may prefer to be between 22 and 26°C.

Reproduction and Embryo Development
Reproductive activity of P. sauvagii occurs during the rainy season, which usually lasts from October until March. Mating does not occur continuously throughout the season, but only during or shortly after periods of heavy rainfall. P. sauvagii males will find a shrub or tree near or in a body of water where they will begin to vocalize to attract females. They are amplectant maters and, as such, mating pairs create their nest of eggs together. The pair will move towards their oviposition site, usually on a leaf overhanging a body of water, where the male will assist the female in laying her eggs while simultaneously fertilizing them. A critical aspect of the reproductive success of P. sauvagii is their oviposition site. Their eggs are highly permeable to water and will desiccate in nesting sites that are too arid or exposed to the sun. However, they must also lay their eggs on a leaf that is suspended above a body of fresh water, so that when the tadpoles hatch they will fall into a suitable environment. They have been shown to non-randomly select sites in favor of larger leaf size and overhang of standing water. To avoid desiccation of eggs, females will lay empty gelatinous capsules in a manner so that they surround the real eggs. These capsules provide extra fluid for the development of embryos and help to keep the eggs from drying out. they also have adherent properties which allows the mating pair to wrap their nests with the leaf that they are laid on. P. sauvagii may also use more than one leaf to effectively wrap their clutch of eggs. Eggs are large and yolk-heavy by anuran standards. Embryo development usually lasts between six and nine days, after which the embryos hatch spontaneously and drop into the water. Upon hatching, embryos are equipped with relatively large external gills, an oral disc with multiple lines of keratinized teeth, and a tail that composes about two thirds of their body length. P. sauvagii embryos may exceed twenty millimeters in length upon hatching.