A tiny, common Leptodactylid, Physalaemus pustulosus (the Pustuled thin-toed frog) could easily be mistaken for a toad (Bufonidae) because of its warty skin. It lacks obvious paratid glands, but the adult is so small (probably a maximum of 4-g) that it’s difficult to identify. The first ones I saw had fallen in a bucket-trap during the day and had dried out, so I mistakenly identified them as toadlets.
The males are easily identified by their blotchy, dark chin.
A tentative herp count from my four months in Costa Rica: 62 species. It may increase (or decrease) slightly as I add and update photographs with uncertain identification and scientific names from Savage and Bolanos (Zootaxa 2009). The majority of the herps discovered were reptiles, which makes sense, given my extended stay in the dry forest. I missed out on much of the phenomenal diversity of anurans and didn’t see a single salamander because they tend to be more diverse in wetter parts of the country. When I was in those areas (i.e., the Osa Penninsula), it was the dry season, so many of the herps were hiding out.
No artificial leaves ever made it to the end of our 30-m release, where the seine was set for their capture. This is an interesting find, since litter biomass is relatively low in the stream itself; where is it going? Are tadpoles, which do appear to be abundant, processing litter?
Some of my first attempts to take some trendy macro photographs of various actions. These are a couple of samples of macro photos I took of research in San Ramon. Allison was usually in charge of releasing and calling out artificial leaves into the streams and Mike was timing the releases – thus, our two hand models. I wish that I had played around with the depth of field a little more on these, but I still think they came out well. It’s difficult to take this type of photograph in the field, particularly in a dark, canopy-covered stream bed.
 |
 |
Any available free time in San Ramon, Mike, Erin, Allison and I played cards. We were addicted to cribbage and the bean game (Bohnanza), which was preferred by another student present in the reserve at the time: Kyle. Allison wasn’t quite as bad as the rest of us, reading a book on circadian biology filled with references to tropical organisms on the stream bed as we set up a mock cribbage table on a large boulder.
 |
 |
There’s all kinds of potential predation-defense mechanisms going on here.
For one of the litter releases in Rio San Lorencito, we decided to pose for some photographs. The second photo may be mistaken for a music band, save the rubber boots and overall lack of trendy clothing.
 |
 |
Another unknown fly found in the wet, pre-montane forests of the Alberto Brenes Biological Reserve.
The majority of the Alberto Manual Brenes Biological Reserve is drained by the Rio Jamaical drainage basin, which is not easily accessed. The river has a much more tropical, Carribean look too it, and a portion of it drains some relatively new volcanic rock, making it less safe to drink than water from Rio San Lorencito. We drank from the small, headwater tributaries near-by. It is a larger river than the Lorencito, and has a much wider bed, so it’s open to much more light. Although I didn’t notice any fish, the river wasn’t devoid of life; there were tadpoles (although it may be interesting to see if the species and abundance of tadpoles compared between the San Lorencito and Jamaical) and plenty of anoles and frogs at the river’s edge potentially picking off emerging aquatic invertebrates.
After a long hike to get the this river, a refreshing swim was incredibly welcome.
Now I have to begin the Ohio herp photographs.
 |
 |