[12] Adult S. sila individuals are morphologically very similar to their sister species S. sordida, but possess a flatter snout and bumpier skin.

[13] Tadpoles are relatively round, with weak muscles and broad, short tails adapted for small ponds.

[15] S. sila females prefer gravel islands or banks alongside first-order streams for breeding and laying eggs.

[1] Although they are listed as Least Concern, Panama cross-banded tree frogs are still threatened by common hazards to amphibian species such as habitat loss caused by agriculture, illegal crops, pollution, pesticides, logging, and human settlement.

The species occurs in many protected areas, such as the Parque Nacional Carara in Costa Rica and Barro Colorado Island in Panama.

[15] S. sila tadpoles possess scraping mouthparts and are substrate feeders of algae and plant matter within their ponds.

Although S. sila breeds during the dry season, periods of rain may connect small ponds and allow the tadpoles to travel between them, expanding their access to food resources.

However, predators of the species such as the frog-eating bat (Trachops cirrhosus) and frog-biting midges (Corethrella spp.)

[6][8] On dark, moonless nights males tend to hide within overhanging vegetation and perform shorter, simple calls at a lower frequency.

[8] Males also exhibit a rare almost-perfect synchronicity in their calling; most anuran species use alternating signals to advertise themselves to potential mates.

Breeding takes place during the dry season when males call from the edges of forest streams.

[8] Anuran species tend to have specialized morphology and biochemical functions that allow them to control the acoustic frequency and oscillations of their calls.

Common morphological features of calling anuran species are highly developed trunk muscles, vocal sacs, and tympanic membranes.

Calling is a very energetically expensive behavior and as such may explain why choruses and songs are relatively short in duration.

Basin construction during amplexus by the female is especially rare and is expressed only by S. sila and the species’ close relative S.

[10][11] Open basins may provide higher temperatures relative to that of the stream (potentially allowing for faster growth of young) as well as safety from aquatic predators such as fish.

[11] Another groups of midges that parasitize S. sila are Corethrella spp., which have a broad acoustic template allowing them to follow the mating calls of a variety of frog species, including those of S.