Anthony's poison arrow frog

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Anthony's poison arrow frog
Epipedobates anthonyi,
in the Leipzig Botanical Garden, Germany

Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Dendrobatidae
Genus: Epipedobates
Species:
E. anthonyi
Binomial name
Epipedobates anthonyi
(
Noble
, 1921)
Synonyms[2]

Phyllobates anthonyi Noble, 1921
Colostethus anthonyi (Noble, 1921)
Phyllobates anthonyi (Noble, 1921)
Dendrobates anthonyi (Noble, 1921)
Ameerega anthonyi (Noble, 1921)

Anthony's poison arrow frog (Epipedobates anthonyi) is a

Dendrobatidae. The species is endemic to Ecuador and Peru
.

Etymology

The specific name, anthonyi, is in honor of American mammalogist Harold Elmer Anthony (1890–1970), who was Curator of Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History.[3]

Description

Anthony's poison arrow frog has a snout-to-vent length of about 19 to 26 mm (0.7 to 1.0 in). The hind legs are short and robust. The dorsal surface is usually dark red or brown and there are several yellowish-white oblique stripes and a central longitudinal stripe.[4]

Geographic range

Anthony's poison arrow frog is known only from a number of locations in southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru at heights of between 153 and 1,769 m (502 and 5,804 ft) above sea level.[1]

Habitat

The natural habitat of E. anthonyi is the leaf litter on the floor of tropical dry forests, especially near streams.[1]

Biology

Anthony's poison arrow frog is diurnal and terrestrial. Males are territorial. A clutch of 15 to 40 eggs is laid on the ground among leaf litter, and the male guards them till they hatch in about two weeks. He then carries the tadpoles on his back to a suitable water body where they develop (through metamorphosis) into frogs in about sixty days.[4] Epibatidine, an extremely toxic nicotine-like substance, was first derived from and named for Epipedobates anthonyi. Once investigated for possible use as an analgesic agent, the alkaloid proved far too toxic for any application in human medicine and is presently used exclusively for research purposes.

Status

Anthony's poison arrow frog is listed as "

IUCN. Its population seems stable but it has a limited range, estimated to be less than 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi), and its habitat is being degraded by pollution from agrochemicals. It is also collected for medicinal use.[1]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T55213A89201539.en
    . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Epipedobates anthonyi (Noble, 1921)"
    . Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  3. ISBN 978-1-907807-41-1
    .
  4. ^ a b Maxon, Jeni (2008-12-09). "Epipedobates anthonyi ". AmphibiaWeb. Retrieved 2013-12-21.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Epipedobates anthonyi.
  • Noble GK
    (1921). "Five new species of Salientia from South America". American Museum Novitates (29): 1–7. (Phyllobates anthonyi, new species, pp. 5–6, Figure 5).
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