Canyon Treefrog

Canyon Treefrog, Hyla arenicolor

Canyon Treefrog, Hyla arenicolor. Photograph taken in the greater Alamos area, Alamos, Sonora, October 2019. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Canyon Treefrog, Hyla arenicolor. Photographs taken within the Basaseachi National Park, Ocampo, Chihuahua, August 2021. Photographs and identifications courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

The Canyon Treefrog, Hyla arenicolor, is a member of the Hylidae family of tree frogs. The Hylidae family consists of seven hundred species placed in forty genera. There are thirty-three species in the Hylidae Genus. The Canyon Treefrog is known in Mexico as Rana Arbórea Del Cañón.

Canyon Treefrogs are small in size, measuring up to 6.4 cm (2.5 inches) in snout-to-vent length. They weight up to 55 grams (0.12 oz). They have rough, warty skin that is highly variable in color and pattern depending on their location. Their coloring matches their surrounding environment extremely well. In general, their skin has a base color of cream to brown, with olive and brown irregular bars, blotches, and spots. Their underside is cream in color with bright yellow or orange along the insides of their legs. Large adhesive toe pads are present on all four webbed feet. Slight sexual dimorphism is displayed with males possessing dusky or yellow throats, while females have white to cream colored throats that match their underside. Tadpoles typically have dark spots and develop more of a bronze coloration as they mature.

Canyon Treefrogs typically spend their days relatively motionless in rock crevices or on rock faces. They keep their sensitive, moist undersides up off the rock surface, only exposing their tough outer skin to the sun. In this resting position, they maintain a body temperature that would be fatal to typical, aquatic frog species. During exceptionally hot and dry times, they will aggregate in large groups near pools of water. Individual frogs climb down, soak in the water for 10 to 15 minutes, and then climb back up to their perch. During the evening, they can be found near the water’s edge searching for food. They typically return to the same resting spot as the day before. Canyon Treefrogs consume a variety of invertebrates such as spiders, beetles, ants, caterpillars, and caddisflies. Tadpoles consume a variety of plant matter and organic debris. They do not drink water, rather, they absorb it through their skin. Breeding occurs near standing water during late spring and summer. Males make a loud, rattling call at night to attract females. Once a female selects a mate, they will embrace in the amplexus pose. A female can lay more than 100 clear, jellylike eggs at a time, which are deposited in a large mass that floats on the water. Eggs deposited late in the breeding season may overwinter. The eggs hatch in less than 2 weeks and the tadpoles go through metamorphosis for approximately 75 days. During this time, they go through several stages of development before they are able to leave the water and ascend the rocks. No parental care is provided to the offspring. 

The Canyon Treefrog ranges from southern Colorado and Utah south through Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. They are also found in southwestern Texas from the Davis to Chisos Mountains west of the Pecos River. In Mexico, they occur throughout eastern Sonora and western Chihuahua, south along the Pacific versant to eastern Oaxaca, and along the center of Mexico to northern Veracruz and western Puebla. They are found from sea level to elevations of 3,000 meters (9,850 feet).


Canyon Treefrogs inhabit temporary and permanent pools and streams in rocky arid scrub within deep, rocky canyons. They are often associated with areas containing large boulders and rocky outcrops. Although they are primarily terrestrial, Canyon Treefrogs are never found far from water. 

The Canyon Treefrog may be confused with the Sinaloa Toad, Incilius mazatlanensis (stockier and larger in size, measuring between 5.5 cm (2.2 inches) and 10 cm (3.9 inches) in snout-to-vent length; crests behind their eyes; can be found very far from water).

From a conservation perspective, the Canyon Treefrog is currently considered to be of Least Concern due to their wide distribution and presumed large population size. There are currently no major threats to this species, however, they may be locally threatened by collection for research and by the increasing recreational use of public lands.