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leaf frog |
The leaf frog is a small American frog of the family
Cystignathidae and the genus
Hylodes, common in the tropics. They are similar to the tree-toad, are usually prettily colored and in size are rarely quite two inches long. The fingers as well as the toes of the leaf frog have effective sucking discs enabling them to climb trees and perch securely upon their branches. The vocal sac of the frog male is similar lo that of the tree-toads. The most common species of leaf frog is the
Hylodes martiniensis, the coqui of the West Indies, noteworthy because of its being the first established instance of the complete metamorphosis of the young frog before leaving the egg.