The breeding season of Agalychnis callidryas (Red-eyed tree frog) is during the months of October through March. The mating ritual consists of males croaking (often all in unison) trying to attract a female. Many times various males will compete for a single branch area. They wrestle until one of them falls off the branch. Then when there is only one male left (all the competition is gone), the male then latches onto the back of the female with it's legs. From there the breeding process begins. Once a male has latched onto a female for mating, other males will try to latch onto the couple. This takes place while the female is holding onto the underside of a leaf. The female has to support the weight of all the frogs until they finish their wrestling match and only one is left.
Next, the pair participate in a process called amplexus. In this process the pair hang up side down under a leaf that is overhanging a water source. The female supports the entire weight of the pair with her legs and digit pads. She releases her eggs one at a time then the male fertilizes the eggs. Each batch of eggs is called a clutch. The female must keep her bladder (this stores the water to hydrate the eggs) and body well hydrated during this process. The eggs require a large amount of water for survival, so females rehydrate by descending from the trees and entering a pool of water.
When the female enters the water, the wrestling continues again. The male that was latched onto the back of the female runs the risk of getting knocked off again and must try to hang on. In many cases when the female heads back up to the leaves she may not have the same mate that she came down with. After this process is complete the eggs are left to mature. In a few days the eggs hatch and the tadpoles are released into the water to mature. The water that was in the eggs helped to expedite the tadpoles exit and also prevented dessication. The tadpoles then mature in the water and later turn into frogletts. The frogletts take to the land and head for the trees to continue the rest of their lives.
Agalychnis callidryas is not endangered nor threatened. The environment that they live in is shrinking. Many wildlife conservation groups are petitioning to conserve these areas for the diverse wildlife that they contain.
The Pacific Treefrog breeds from November to July in a wide array of habitats including marshes, ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow-moving streams. Egg clusters are attached to sticks or vegetation and may contain as many as 70 eggs per cluster. In shallower water, eggs will be deposited on the bottom. Tadpoles, or larvae, hatch within a week and metamorphosis may take up to 2 1/2 months.
