Dorsal background color ranges from ocher-yellowish to mid-brown, darker by day and lighter at night. The trunk is usually darker than the head dorsally. Dark markings typically include blotches or bands on the lateral face of the head and trunk: below the nostril, below the eye, and dorsoventrally across the gill region and flanks. Light areas between these markings give the tadpoles a distinctive facial appearance. The nostril may be embedded in a small dark spot. Opposing dark V- or W-shaped markings are often present between the eyes. Dorsal clusters of skin glands may be embedded in darker pigment. Although dark markings are characteristic, they appear reduced in some populations. Iridocytes are scattered over parts of the cheek and flank. Trunk pigmentation extends onto the muscular portion of the tail, becoming lighter toward the fins and posterior tail. The tail lacks distinct dark markings. Ventral body skin is mostly translucent, but an opaque, silvery layer may be present on the anterior abdomen. Buccal and gular skin is semitransparent and melanocyte-dusted; gills and heart are visible, the heart bearing a small patch of iridocytes. The oral disc is finely stippled with melanocytes; papillae are pigmented at their tips.