Phantasmal poison frog

The phantasmal poison frog or phantasmal poison-arrow frog (Epipedobates tricolor) is a species of poison dart frog. It is endemic to Ecuador and known from the Andean slopes of the central Ecuador in Bolívar Province.[2] They have radiant colors. This species is endangered, and there are only a few locations in the wild where they are known to live.

Phantasmal poison frog
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Dendrobatidae
Genus: Epipedobates
Species:
E. tricolor
Binomial name
Epipedobates tricolor
(Boulenger, 1899)
Synonyms

Prostherapis tricolor Boulenger, 1899
Phyllobates tricolor (Boulenger, 1899)
Dendrobates tricolor (Boulenger, 1899)
Ameerega tricolor (Boulenger, 1899)
Colostethus paradoxus Rivero, 1991

Description

The phantasmal poison frog has a snout-to-vent length of about 22.6 mm (0.9 in). It has a wide head and truncated snout and the skin is smooth. The first finger is longer than the second, and all the digits are partially webbed. The dorsal surface is usually green or yellow and there are longitudinal stripes.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The phantasmal poison frog is known only from a number of locations in central Ecuador on the Andean slopes of Bolívar Province, at heights of between 319 and 1,769 m (1,047 and 5,804 ft) above sea level. Its natural habitat is the leaf litter on the floor of the tropical forest, especially near streams, and in wetlands.[1]

Biology

The species inhabits the Chocoan tropical and subtropical rain forest. Habitats include deforested areas as well as natural forests. They are found in banana and cacao plantations, and pastures near streams. The males carry the tadpoles to sites with running water. The frogs secrete epibatidine, a chemical of pharmacological interest.

Phantasmal poison frogs live in a similar areas to Epipedobates machalilla yet the two to occupy different environmental niches, and their population distribution is small and overlaps with that of E. machalilla. Genetic analysis places phantasmal poison frog clades within E. machalilla and suggests that the phantasmal poison frog diverged recently via either peripheral speciation or high phenotypic divergence.[4]

Status

The phantasmal poison frog is listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN. This is because of its limited range, estimated to be less than 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) and the apparent decline in numbers of this species.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group 2019. Epipedobates tricolor. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T55239A98647137. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T55239A98647137.en. Downloaded on 20 July 2019.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2015). "Epipedobates tricolor (Boulenger, 1899)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  3. Coloma; et al. (2011). "Epipedobates tricolor". Anfibios de Ecuador. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  4. Tarvin, Rebecca D.; Powell, Emily A.; Santos, Juan C.; Ron, Santiago R.; Cannatella, David C. (April 2017). "The birth of aposematism: High phenotypic divergence and low genetic diversity in a young clade of poison frogs". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 109: 283–295. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.035. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 28089841.
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