Dendrobates

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Dendrobates
Dendrobates tinctorius
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Dendrobatidae
Subfamily: Dendrobatinae
Genus: Dendrobates
Wagler, 1830
Type species
Dendrobates tinctorius

Cuvier, 1797
Diversity
5 species (see text)
Distribution of the five Dendrobates species

Dendrobates is a genus of poison dart frogs native to Central and South America. It once contained numerous species, but most originally placed in this genus have been split off into other genera such as Adelphobates, Ameerega, Andinobates, Epipedobates, Excidobates, Oophaga, Phyllobates and Ranitomeya (essentially all the brightly marked poison dart frogs; i.e. excluding the duller genera in the family like Colostethus and Hyloxalus), leaving only five large to medium-sized species in the genus Dendrobates.[1][2] All the other genera used to be grouped in with Dendrobates because it was previously thought that all brightly colored poison dart frogs came from the same ancestor but this has since been proven to be incorrect.[3] Dendrobates and Phyllobates evolved conspicuous coloration from the same common ancestor but not the same as any of the other genera listed above.[4]

There is accumulating evidence that Dendrobates are diet specialists and sequester the toxin found on their skin from their diet. It has been found that diet specialization evolved in tandem with conspicuous coloration in the case of Dendrobates.[5]

The generic name Dendrobates is derived from

Ancient Greek δένδρον déndron 'tree', and βάτης bátēs 'one that treads', meaning ‘tree climber’.[6]

Species

Image Common name Binomial name and authority[7] Distribution
Green and black poison dart frog
Dendrobates auratus
(Girard, 1855)
southeastern Nicaragua on the Atlantic slope and southeastern Costa Rica on the Pacific coast through Panama to northwestern Colombia (Chocó Department)
Yellow-banded poison dart frog
Dendrobates leucomelas
Steindachner, 1864
Guyana, Brazil, Venezuela and the extreme easternmost part of Colombia
Rockstone poison dart frog
Dendrobates nubeculosus
Jungfer and Böhme, 2004
near Rockstone, Guyana
Dyeing poison dart frog
Dendrobates tinctorius
(Cuvier, 1797)
Guiana Shield, including parts of Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, and nearly all of French Guiana.
Yellow-striped poison dart frog
Dendrobates truncatus
(Cope, 1861)
Colombia

References