Leptodactylus validus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 →
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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 |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog sighting in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 10 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, June and August
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in April–May and September, 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 Main Ridge Forest Reserve, in our data
Main Ridge Forest Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Smooth-skinned Ditch Frog sightings: about 50% 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 Main Ridge Forest Reserve (34 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.
