The tadpoles are described, compared, and illustrated; the larval development of _Smilisca phaeota_ is described.
Breeding behavior and breeding calls are described and compared. Some species of _Smilisca_ have breeding choruses. Two species, _S. sila_ and _sordida_, breed in streams, whereas the others breed in ponds.
The genus is considered to be part of the Middle American Faunal Element; the species are thought to have differentiated in response to ecological diversity and historical opportunities provided by Cenozoic changes in physiography and climate.
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