''Ameerega hahneli'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

in the family

Dendrobatidae Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the Family (biology), family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. T ...

. It is found in the Amazonian lowlands of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

, and

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. It is named after

Paul Hahnel Paul Hahnel (17 April 1843, Schlegenburg in Leobsanütz, Silesia - 12 May 1887, Manicore) He collected Lepidoptera and Coleoptera in Venezuela (1877/79) and made two Amazon expeditions the first 1879-1884) and the second, with Otto Michael 1 ...

, the collector of the

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

Taxonomy

''Ameerega hahneli'' has been mixed with ''

Ameerega picta The spot-legged poison frog (''Ameerega picta'';Grant, T. et al., (2006). Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (Amphibia: Athesphatanura: Dendrobatidae)' (PDF). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 299, ...

'', and also considered its

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

. It may represent several species; '' Ameerega altamazonica'' has already been split off from the former ''Ameerega hahneli''.

Description

Males measure and females in snout–vent length. The back and limbs are finely granular and brown in colour, with or without black spots. The flanks are black and bordered above by a narrow, white or cream colored dorsolateral line that extends from the tip of the snout to the groin. There is also a white or cream coloured labial stripe that does not extend onto the arm. The venter is blue with black reticulations. There are yellow-orange oval spots on the ventral surfaces of the arms, inner surfaces of the shanks, and in the groin. The iris is dark brown.

Reproduction

Males are territorial. The territorial call is a long series of short "peep" notes, whereas the courtship call is similar but consists of only three notes. Females lay 6–33 pigmented eggs on the leaf-litter. Eggs hatch after 4–16 days and are carried on the back of their father to a creek. The tadpoles require running water.

Tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

s are brown, with a depressed body, and long tail. They metamorphose after two months.

Habitat and conservation

''Ameerega hahneli'' is a common frog, apart from the

Guianas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

where it is uncommon. It occurs on the forest floor in the tropical rainforest. It is usually associated with fallen palm fronds, branches, and small gaps in the forest. They are active during the day and hide in low vegetation at night. It can be threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, but the total population is stable and the species is not threatened.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1346482 hahneli Frogs of South America Amphibians of Bolivia Amphibians of Brazil Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians of Ecuador Amphibians of French Guiana Amphibians of Guyana Amphibians of Peru Amphibians of Suriname Amphibians of Venezuela Amphibians described in 1884 Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger Taxonomy articles created by Polbot