Scinax chiquitanus, the Rio Negro snouted treefrog, is a hylid frog in the Scinax rubra group.Though not uncommon, it was first described from northeastern Bolivia in 1990 (De la Riva 1990, as cited in Cortez et al. 2004; De la Riva et al. 2000) and subsequently from southern Peru (Duellman and Wiens 1993).The Rio Negro snouted treefrog inhabits seasonal, primary tropical or subtropical Amazonian rainforests, humid transition lowland forests, and pre-Cambrian shield humid forests up to 450 m (1500 feet) in altitude.It is found in several protected areas in both countries.It is not known from any environmentally degraded areas.
Scinax chiquitanus is a pale brown and smooth-skinned, sometimes with a longitudinal stripe and or light speckling on its back, and pale gold irises.It is arboreal and has finger and toe pads adapted for climbing.Males are slightly smaller (33.3 mm, 1.3 inches snout vent length) than females (36.2 mm, 1.4 inches SVL).It reproduces in the rainy season (Dec-March), in temporary ponds in or on the edges of forests.Its call, described as a short rattling buzz, is a series of 0.1 second long notes repeated at a rate of 20-40 notes/minute, which males make from aquatic vegetation or vegetation surrounding ponds. Tadpoles are so far unknown (Duellman and Wiens 1993; Cortez et al. 2004; De la Riva et al. 2000).
Males from Peru display more markings on their back than those from Bolivia, and from this observation De la Riva et al. (2000) suggest that the Peruvian frogs be taxonomically reassessed, implying these may in fact be separate species.
