The skulls of _S. cyanosticta_ and _S. baudini_ are alike in certain respects. The squamosals of both species are large and connected to the maxillary by a bony connection; the squamosals of _S. phaeota_ are large, but extend only two-thirds of the distance from the dorsal end of the quadrate to the maxillary. In _S. baudini_ and _S. cyanosticta_ the nasals are separated throughout their lengths from the ethmoid, whereas the nasals of _S. phaeota_ are separated from the ethmoid by cartilage. The latter separation is due to an incomplete ossification of the nasals in _S. phaeota_. The bony part of each nasal is constricted in the middle of the long axis of the bone, and the nasals are widest anteriorly; posteriorly each nasal bears a medial process, which is narrowly separated from the lateral edge of the ethmoid.
Table 5.--Variation in the Number of Teeth in the Species of Smilisca. (All Are Males; N = Number of Jaws, or Twice the Number of Individuals; Means Are Given in Parentheses After the Observed Ranges.)
=================+====+==============+==============+=========== Species | N | Maxillary | Premaxillary | Vomerine -----------------+----+--------------+--------------+----------- _S. baudini_ | 20 | 49-65 (56.0) | 9-16 (13.6) | 5-9 (7.2) _S. cyanosticta_ | 8 | 50-64 (57.9) | 10-12 (10.8) | 4-11 (7.1) _S. phaeota_ | 20 | 50-68 (58.1) | 10-15 (12.1) | 5-9 (7.3) _S. puma_ | 6 | 60-67 (63.6) | 11-13 (12.0) | 4-7 (5.3) _S. sila_ | 8 | 48-60 (52.9) | 10-14 (11.3) | 5-7 (5.7) _S. sordida_ | 12 | 39-55 (44.2) | 7-11 (9.3) | 4-6 (5.2) -----------------+----+--------------+--------------+-----------
The teeth of all species of _Smilisca_ are spatulate and bifid. The numbers of maxillary, premaxillary, and vomerine teeth are summarized in Table 5. Smaller and presumably younger specimens of all species of _Smilisca_ have fewer teeth than do larger specimens of the same species. This correlation between size and number of teeth does not exist as an interspecific trend within the genus; for example, the smallest species in the genus, _S. puma_, has the highest number of maxillary teeth. In small specimens of a given species wide gaps are present between the maxillary teeth posteriorly; in large specimens the gaps are filled by teeth, beginning anteriorly and progressing posteriorly, until the maxillary dentition is continuous.