The harlequin poison frog, also known as harlequin poison-dart frog (''Oophaga histrionica''), is a species of

poison dart frog 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 Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Chocó region of western

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 ...

. The frog is normally found on the ground of tropical rain forests, among fallen limbs or leaf litter. Some frogs traditionally classified as ''Oophaga histrionica'' were separated as new species in 2018. These are ''

Oophaga anchicayensis ''Oophaga anchicayensis'' is a species of poison frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It lives in western Colombia. It is one of three species that were separated from '' Oophaga histrionica'' in 2018. Taxonomy ''Oophaga anchicayensis'' has tradit ...

'', '' Oophaga andresi'' and ''

Oophaga solanensis ''Oophaga'' is a genus of poison-dart frogs containing twelve species, many of which were formerly placed in the genus ''Dendrobates''. The frogs are distributed in Central and South America, from Nicaragua through the Colombian El Choco to no ...

''.

Description

The harlequin poison frog has an average

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

of . The background coloration varies from light to dark brown, and there is usually a vivid spot on the dorsum.

Life history

The harlequin poison frog lives on the forest floor. The male calls from a low perch to advertise his presence and the female lays eggs among the leaf litter. When the eggs hatch, a parent transports the newly hatched

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 to a tiny water reservoir (often in the

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

of 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, ...

). The mother returns periodically and lays unfertilized eggs, on which the tadpoles feed until ready to

metamorphose Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some insec ...

and exit the water. The larva is an obligate egg-feeder and will starve without this form of nutrition. Adults feed on ants and mites on the ground after sunrise but not later than 16:00, when they are finding refuge either on the ground under leaf litter or elevated on fallen logs. This rearing behavior makes harlequins among the most difficult poison dart frogs to raise in captivity. As a result, they are not widely found on the domestic pet market, and those available may be illegally smuggled imports rather than legally bred domestic animals. Wild-caught dart frogs are often stressed, require more care, have a much higher fatality rate, and may also be toxic and dangerous to handle. A few domestically bred animals are nevertheless available and are highly sought-after in the pet trade.

Poison

''O. histrionica'', along with '' O. speciosa'', produces

cardiotoxin Cardiotoxicity is the occurrence of heart dysfunction as electric or muscle damage, resulting in heart toxicity. The heart becomes weaker and is not as efficient in pumping blood. Cardiotoxicity may be caused by chemotherapy (a usual example is th ...

s known as histrionicotoxins. These moderate to highly toxic compounds act as potent noncompetitive antagonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, binding to a regulatory site on the delta subunit of the ion channel complex. They also have some affinity for sodium and potassium channels, although they are much less potent for these targets. The synthesis of histrionicotoxins and various homologues is synthetically challenging and has been the subject of many different attempts.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has listed this species as being " Critically Endangered". There is ongoing destruction of its rainforest habitat and its numbers seem to be declining.

References

External links

Harlequin Poison Frog color morphs
{{Taxonbar, from=Q138853 Oophaga Endemic fauna of Colombia Amphibians of Colombia Amphibians described in 1845 Taxa named by Arnold Adolph Berthold