Golfodulcean poison frog

The Golfodulcean poison frog has striking warning colouration to signal its toxicity. It is endemic to the humid lowland rainforests along streams in southwestern Costa Rica. It lives almost exclusively on the ground and near shallow water and rarely climbs higher than one metre into the vegetation. The animals prefer damp cavities and structures along small, fast-flowing streams where calm shallow water zones form. The species is diurnal and territorial. Rival males settle their disputes mainly acoustically and through impressive behaviour and short chases.
Due to their skin poison, adult animals have few predators to fear. The striped leaf climber obtains its toxic alkaloids – traces of batrachotoxins – exclusively from food in its original habitat, including ants, beetles and small invertebrates. The batrachotoxin contained in these foods is one of the most potent neurotoxins. In human care, the animals lose their toxicity almost completely, as the relevant prey animals are absent.
The Golfodulcean poison frog exhibits distinctive brood care behaviour. The male sits in front of his breeding cave and attracts females with a species-specific trill lasting several seconds. The female then lays between 10 and 25 eggs, usually on a leaf or in a damp cave, where the male fertilises them, guards them and regularly moistens them. The tadpoles hatch after about 18 days. The male carries them individually on his back to calm pools of water. The metamorphosis into a small frog is complete after about two to three months.
The distribution range of the Golfodulcean poison frog is small and fragmented and is increasingly affected by various factors such as deforestation or water pollution. In addition, the species is affected by the international wildlife trade.

Distribution