Boana platanera
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Boana platanera, commonly known as the banana tree dwelling frog, is a species of tree frog in the family Hylidae. It is distributed within Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago. Boana platanera was described in 2021, and individuals of the species were previously classified as Boana crepitans or Boana xerophylla.
In Colombia and Venezuela, Boana platanera is, together with Boana pugnax, known by the Spanish name rana platanera. The specific name platanera was borrowed from this colloquial name, and it can be translated as "from the plantain". This refers to the banana trees on which these frogs are often seen in the daytime. Rana platanera can thus be translated as "banana tree dwelling frog", which is the English name suggested by the describers.
Boana platanera is the sister species of Boana xerophylla, from which it was separated in 2021. Both species are present in Venezuela, but Boana platanera lives north of the Orinoco river and Boana xerophylla south of the river. This classification is fairly recent, as Boana xerophylla was resurrected in 2017 and Boana platanera was described in 2021. For decades prior to the resurrection, both... Wikipedia →
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Costa Rica · 2023
© Chris Harrison · XC941183 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Colombia · 2026
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Venezuela · 2019
© Rafael Gianni-Zurita · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 2 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Banana Tree Dwelling Frog sighting in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 10 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Banana Tree Dwelling Frog in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in March–April and November, the lowest months. That is one of Main Ridge Forest Reserve's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain against 60 mm in February.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Banana Tree Dwelling Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Banana Tree Dwelling Frog sightings, Main Ridge Forest Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Tayrona National Natural Park (Colombia, about 30%) and Farallones de Cali National Natural Park (Colombia, about 10%).
Same order: Anura
The closest relatives of the Banana Tree Dwelling Frog that you can see in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are Eastern Cane Toad (about 60%), Charlotteville Robber Frog (about 50%) and Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Banana Tree Dwelling Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (17 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
