Description
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Dendrobates castaneoticus, or the Brazil-nut Poison Frog, is among the smallest of the poison dart frogs, with a snout-vent length (SVL) ranging from 18-23 mm. This species varies little in color, size, and pattern across its range in northeastern South America. The body color is a glossy black with white to yellow spots or tick marks on the dorsal surface, which may appear as partial lines in some individuals. The area of insertion of the forelimbs to the body and the hind limbs above and below the knee joint are marked with bright orange or yellow spots. These spots may serve to distract or confuse predators when the frog is in motion. When at rest, the spots on the hind limb appear to be a single large spot. One additional spot appears on the under side of the calf, but is only visible from a ventral view. This species completely lacks an inner metacarpal tubercle. Adult females are usually larger than males, and only the males are capable of calling.The common name “Brazil-nut Poison Frog” comes from this frog’s proclivity for depositing its tadpoles in the fruit capsules of brazil nut trees. This behavior is part of a complex and interesting system involving many species. The brazil-nut fruit falls from the tree and the outer husk is chewed open by a large mammal such as an agouti. The agouti removes the edible insides of the fruit capsule leaving it hollow. The capsule then fills with rainwater and becomes prime breeding ground for many different tiny creatures such as dart frogs, toads, mosquitoes, and other insects. Each of these larvae are potential predators of one another, and survival depends on their ability to compete as well as the timing of their deposition.
Caldwell, J. P. and Myers, C. W. (1990). ''A new poison frog from Amazonian Brazil: with further revision of the quinquevittatus group of Dendrobates.'' American Museum Novitates, 2988, 1-21.
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Distribution and Habitat
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Dendrobates castaneoticus occurs in the primary lowland forest near Cachoeira Juruá, Rio Xingu and the Tapajos drainage, State of Pará, Brazil. Though rarely collected, the distance between these two major collection sites suggests a rather broad distribution. Active only by day, they forage mainly in the leaf-litter at ground level and are rarely found far above the ground.
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Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
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Dendrobates castaneoticus is an insectivore and feeds primarily on ants, termites and other small insects. Although clutches containing up to 12 eggs have been reported, the female usually lays 2-6 eggs, which are cared for by the male. When the tadpoles hatch they are deposited individually in small pools of water, which has collected in logs, tree holes, Brazil nut husks, or other debris. The tadpoles are large and aggressive and will devour any insect larvae, tadpoles, or plant matter of appropriate size. Young frogs grow quickly and may reach maturity as early as 5-7 months.
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Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
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This frog is not listed as endangered, but little data exists to verify the size of the wild population. Overexploitation for pet trade, habitat destruction resulting from deforestation and agriculture may ultimately leady to a reduction in populations and/or individual numbers.
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Relation to Humans
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This species has begun to show up more commonly in captive collections, and is gaining popularity in the pet trade, with captive bred specimens selling for over 100 dollars (U.S.).
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Brazil-nut poison frog
provided by wikipedia EN
The Brazil-nut poison frog (Adelphobates castaneoticus) is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to the state of Pará in Brazil.[4] The frog is believed to have received its common name from the fact that its tadpoles sometimes develop in the hard capsules of the Brazil nut tree, which are common in its range. The nuts fall to the forest floor where they are broken open by agoutis and other animals seeking the seeds, and empty husks fill with water.[5]
Description
The Brazil-nut poison frog is a very small frog with a snout-to-vent length of 18 to 23 mm (0.7 to 0.9 in); females are usually larger than males. The dorsal surface is of a shiny black colour with spots and markings of white or various shades of yellow.[6] There is a bright yellow or orange spot where the foreleg joins the body and two more similarly coloured spots on either side of the knee joint on the hind leg, which combine to make a single large spot when the animal is stationary. A further spot on the underside of the calf is only visible from below.[5]
Distribution
The Brazil-nut poison frog is endemic to the rainforest of central Brazil. It is known from several localities in the state of Pará; from Cachoeira Juruá, Xingu River, the type locality; from Taperinha some 300 km (186 mi) to the north west;[6] and from Flona Tapajos, Santarém. These locations are some distance apart and it is likely that this frog has a more widespread distribution than is known but has passed undetected in other parts of its range.[1] It lives among the leaf litter on the forest floor and sometimes climbs into low vegetation.[5]
Biology
The Brazil-nut poison frog is diurnal and feeds on ants, termites and other small invertebrates.[7] The eggs are laid on the ground where they are guarded by the male. When they hatch, it carries the tadpoles to temporary pools such as water holes in trees and stumps, and water-filled empty nut cases on the forest floor.[5] Here the tadpoles develop rapidly, devouring mosquito larvae, smaller tadpoles, and other creatures that share these ephemeral pools, as well as suitably-sized plant material. This frog may become sexually mature in five to seven months.[5]
Status
The Brazil-nut poison frog is common within its range and the population trend seems stable, although data on its conservation status is somehow insufficient.[6] As a result, the IUCN lists its conservation status as being of "least concern".[7] The main threats it faces are logging, habitat destruction, wildfire and collection of animals to be sold as pets on an international market. There are some conservation areas within its range.[1][5]
References
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^ a b c Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, Claudia Azevedo-Ramos (2004). "Adelphobates castaneoticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T55179A11252315. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T55179A11252315.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
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^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
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^ Caldwell, Janalee P. & Myers, Charles W. (1990). "A new poison frog from Amazonian Brazil, with further revision of the quinquevittatus group of Dendrobates". American Museum Novitates (2988): 1–21. hdl:2246/5075.
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^ a b Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Adelphobates castaneoticus (Caldwell and Myers, 1990)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
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^ a b c d e f KU Herpetology Class (2005-01-13). "Adelphobates castaneoticus". AmphibiaWeb. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
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^ a b c Lima, Amanda & Gallati, Ulisses (24 February 2011). "Amphibia, Anura, Dendrobatidae, Adelphobates castaneoticus (Caldwell and Myers 1990): distribution extension and geographic distribution map" (PDF). Herpetology Notes. 4: 93–94. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
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^ a b "Dendrobatidae - Poison Frogs". NHPT. New Hampshire Public Television. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
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Brazil-nut poison frog: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The Brazil-nut poison frog (Adelphobates castaneoticus) is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to the state of Pará in Brazil. The frog is believed to have received its common name from the fact that its tadpoles sometimes develop in the hard capsules of the Brazil nut tree, which are common in its range. The nuts fall to the forest floor where they are broken open by agoutis and other animals seeking the seeds, and empty husks fill with water.
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