A Central American Casque-headed Frog (Hemiphractus fasciatus)

This is a Central American Casque-headed Frog, Hemiphractus fasciatus. This is the only member of the genus currently described from Central America. All other members of Hemiphractus are found east of the Andes in the Amazon Basin or in Pacific versant rainforests of Colombia and Ecuador. Casque-heads are primary forest frogs and likely have suffered considerable population declines with the severe deforestation that has occurred in lower Central America. Hemiphractus are primarily frog eating frogs but other small vertebrates and invertebrates likely serve as prey items. Female Hemiphractus carry their eggs on their backs. The offspring directly develop in the eggs and hatch out as miniatures of the adults. This is one of the diverse mechanisms of parental care observed in the amphibia known as "egg brooding."