Leptodactylus validus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The Windward ditch frog or smooth-skinned ditch frog (Leptodactylus validus) is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. It is found in the Lesser Antilles (Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago), the Guianas (French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname), and in the northernmost Brazil (Roraima) and in Venezuela. The Lesser Antillean part of the range might be due to human introduction. In 2018, the species was recorded from Colombia for the first time.
The continental Leptodactylus pallidirostris was found to be the same species as Leptodactylus validus in 2006. The former Leptodactylus pallidirostris is described as a dweller of gallery forests and forest edges. The Lesser Antillean populations are found in forests and forest edges often found close to forest stream banks, shaded gullies, and caves. They may also be found in meadows, at roadsides in parks and rural yards. The species lays its eggs in streams and ditches, where the tadpoles later develop. This frog has been observed as high as 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level.
Male Leptodactylus validus grow to a snout–vent length of 28–43 mm (1.1–1.7 in) and females to 30–52 mm (1.2–2.0 in). Wikipedia →
Advertisement call0:13
Trinidad & Tobago · 2019
© Chris Harrison · XC892930 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:40
Venezuela · 2026
© Fabrizio Migliore · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:35
Venezuela · 2025
© Alejandro Luy · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog sighting in Caracas on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 6 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog in Caracas on a given day, against under 5% in September and December–March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Caracas, in our data
Caracas is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Caracas (19 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
