''Ranitomeya vanzolinii'', also known as the Brazilian poison frog or spotted poison frog, 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 ...

from 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 rainforests 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 ...

and

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 ...

, and possibly

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 ...

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''vanzolinii'' honors Paulo Vanzolini, a Brazilian herpetologist and composer.

Description

Adults of this species grow to between snout–vent length and feed on a variety of tiny invertebrates. During the breeding season males have loud trill-like call. Unlike many species of dendrobatids the parents of ''Ranitomeya vanzolinii'' offspring return to feed their young. They will lay their fertile egg in an isolated pool. A

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, ...

which has filled with water is an ideal place. Once the

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 ...

hatches the female encouraged by the male will lay an infertile egg into the small pool, this provides the tadpole with a food source until it can fend for itself. The parents form a stable pair during this period.

Habitat and conservation

The species' natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are pre-montane

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

s and lowland rainforests. Adults are primarily arboreal, mostly found up to 2 metres above ground, occasionally higher. Populations have probably declined in recent years. It is locally threatened by habitat loss and illegal pet trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28053307 vanzolinii Amphibians described in 1982 Amphibians of Brazil Amphibians of Peru Taxonomy articles created by Polbot