Black-spotted Casque-headed Tree Frog

Fascinating facts about the Black-spotted Casque-headed Tree Frog

• This treefrog reaches up to 92 mm in length and is among the larger members of its family, but it is still threatened by habitat loss.
• A single individual can live at least six years, yet males become sexually mature after just two years while females wait three. That extra year lets females stock up on energy, likely boosting the number of eggs they can lay once they finally breed.
• Scientists have spotted this frog in nine Brazilian states, from Alagoas to Rio de Janeiro, across caatinga, cerrado, and Atlantic Forest ecoregions. Because it spends most of its life high in the canopy, its true range is probably larger than current records show.
• The frog tolerates elevations up to 870 m (2,850 ft) and can survive in mildly degraded habitats like cacao plantations that retain old-growth shade trees, contributing to its classification as least concern despite some logging and fire threats.
• Breeding occurs in December and possibly February, with eggs deposited in temporary or permanent shallow pools, ponds, and lakes.

At a glance

About the Black-spotted Casque-headed Tree Frog

The black-spotted casque-headed tree frog, Trachycephalus nigromaculatus, is a strikingly large Hylid, reaching nearly 92 mm from snout to vent. Its most eye-catching feature is a scattering of tiny red spots that pepper its dorsal skin, a subtle but vivid contrast against the muted greens of the canopy. Endemic to Brazil, this arboreal amphibian spends most of its life high above the forest floor, often perched inside the water-filled cores of bromeliads or snug in tree holes, and occasionally venturing onto branches near ponds. It inhabits lowland forest and restinga shrublands along the southeastern coast, thriving in the caatinga, cerrado, and Atlantic Forest ecoregions, and even tolerates the shaded understory of cacao plantations where old-growth trees remain. Breeding peaks in December, with a possible second bout in February, when males call from shallow pools, both temporary and permanent, to attract females. After a two-year maturation for males and three years for females, the species exhibits a dramatic slowdown in growth, a pattern common among Neotropical frogs, and can live at least six years. Though its exact diet is unrecorded, related species consume invertebrates, small lizards, bats, and other frogs, suggesting a similarly opportunistic palate. A surprising twist in its ecology is its role as a host to several parasites, including the platyhelminth Polystoma knoffi, first identified from this frog, highlighting a complex web of interactions that extends beyond its visible splendor.

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