Details
Dendrobates auratus
The green-and-black poison dart frog is a jewel-like frog of Central America and northwestern South America. Warning colors advertise skin toxins as it moves by day on the forest floor.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in humid tropical forest from Nicaragua through Panama into Colombia, with introduced populations in Hawaii. Leaf litter, logs and stream edges are common sites.
Adults are 2.5-4.2 cm long. Green, blue-green or yellowish markings form spots or networks against black, with strong regional variation.
Diurnal and mostly ground-active, it forages close to cover. Males call from territories and lead females toward egg sites.
Ants, mites, termites and tiny beetles make up much of the diet. The frog's toxins come from chemicals in wild prey.
Eggs are laid in damp leaf litter or similar sites, and parents carry tadpoles to small water pockets. Tree holes and plant-held pools may be used.
The species remains widespread and breeds readily in captivity, though habitat change still matters. Distinct color forms make locality management important.
